Hi! My name is Simka and I'm organizing the event Artists Against Violence to provide much needed funds to two amazing organizations in New York. Safe Horizon provides shelter and victims services, meeting their clients where they are and aiming to move them 'from crisis to confidence,' and the Center for Women of New York, which provides financial, educational, and social services for women, and a guide to navigating the system of resources available through both government and private programs.
Our goal with this fundraiser is to help both organizations to continue and expand their existing programs, to raise awareness around the struggles women face in this country every day, particularly in regards to domestic violence, and to change the way we treat each other by recognizing that this is a serious problem and it is unacceptable.
In 2018 1,946 women were murdered by men in a single victim/offender incident, and all signs indicate that that number has only grown in the 3 years that have passed. 92% of them knew their killer, 63% of them were married to their killer, and most times these women were killed in the course of an argument. The number of women shot and killed by their partner is 4 times higher than the number of women murdered by male strangers. Abuse often escalates if the woman is pregnant. These facts speak volumes about the breakdown we are seeing in our ability to communicate with one another without resorting to violence, and the very real need for women to have access to help, freely and quickly, so they can escape a life-threatening situation. The loss of these women leaves a scar across our country that will not heal until we stop shaming victims of abuse, and provide women with the proper tools to build a life of their own, free of violence and abuse, as EVERY person should be able to live.
Thank you for donating, you are making a difference in the lives of women and when women are supported, valued, loved, and respected they go on to do great things and make great changes for all of us.
"Try to be a rainbow in someone else's cloud."
- Maya Angelou