DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Young women who were in shelters as children are now seeking protection from domestic violence situations themselves according to the 2013 Mary Kay Truth About Abuse Survey. The annual survey takes an in-depth look at domestic violence through the perspective of executive directors at women’s shelters across the country. Along with the cycle of violence continuing in Generation Y, the 2013 survey reported that many women are staying in shelters for longer periods of time because of limited access to resources.
The ripple effect of women staying in shelters for longer periods of time prevents other women from receiving needed assistance. As fewer women are able to seek shelter, more women are staying in or going back to violent and dangerous situations. More than 800 women’s shelters across the nation shared their concerns about this pattern with Mary Kay Inc. Key findings include:
- Most shelters are servicing more women, specifically more women between the ages of 18-32 and more women with children.
- The shelters who said they are serving fewer women say it is because residents are staying longer due to limited resources and the economy.
- The economy continues to be a factor for clients. However, the economy is not the reason for the abuse. The economy is why women stay or go back to their abusers.
- Mental health issues are prevalent.
- While many shelters are able to provide emergency housing, most do not have the resources to provide the long term care and rehabilitation that survivors need to ultimately break the cycle.
“Unfortunately, the results of the Mary Kay Truth About Abuse survey are not surprising,” said Paige Flink, executive director for The Family Place, the largest domestic violence service provider in the Dallas metropolitan area. “The lethality of domestic violence has spiked. Just at The Family Place alone, we’ve seen a 32% increase in requests for shelter during the past six months. When a women and her children are in need of assistance, turning them away in these life and death situations is not an option. Alternative safe housing is a critical step and often times one of the hardest steps for a survivor to make.”
“The Mary Kay Truth About Abuse Survey shows that violence against women is an epidemic and the cycle of violence goes from one generation to the next,” said Anne Crews, Mary Kay Inc.’s vice president of government relations and member of the board of directors for The Mary Kay FoundationSM. “Many of the shelters had to turn away women and children, and this is why it is so critical for organizations and companies to supply much needed funds to women’s shelters. Shelters need funding to not only house women and children who are in need, but also offer programs that help prevent abuse.”
Mary Kay Inc. and The Mary Kay FoundationSM provide funding each year to various programs that work to end domestic violence. The Foundation’s signature program is the Shelter Grant Program, where 150 shelters across the country each receive $20,000 grants in unrestricted funds. In response to the survey results, The Mary Kay FoundationSM will designate a portion of the 150 annual grants to shelters in metropolitan areas that have the highest number of reported incidents of violent crimes against women.
Along with the annual shelter grant program, Mary Kay has supported other programs that address violence against women including the nation’s first text-based helpline for young women and outdoor nature learning nature centers at women’s shelters.
About Mary Kay
Irresistible products. Positive community impact. Rewarding opportunity. For 50 years, Mary Kay has offered it all. With 2.5 million Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants and $3 billion in global annual wholesale sales, Mary Kay is a top beauty brand and direct seller in more than 35 markets around the world. To learn more or to locate a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant in your area, please visit marykay.com.
About The Mary Kay FoundationSM
The Mary Kay FoundationSM was created in 1996, and its mission is two-fold: to fund research of cancers affecting women and to help prevent domestic violence while raising awareness of the issue. Since the Foundation’s inception, it has awarded $31 million to shelters and programs addressing domestic violence prevention and more than $18 million to cancer researchers and related causes throughout the United States. To learn more about The Mary Kay FoundationSM, please visit www.marykayfoundation.org or call 1-877-MKCARES (652-2737).
