President Obama has proclaimed October as National Domesitc Violence Awareness Month.

Domestic Violence happens all around us. Just in the local news yesterday, an area police officer was arrested on charges related to domestic violence.

If you are ever in immediate danger from domestic violence you are urged to phone 911, contact a local hotline (if available) or the national hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

Some reminders: corded phones are more private and less able to be intercepted than cordless phones or analog cell phones.

You may not be able to reach 911 using an internet phone or internet-based phone service, so you may need to be prepared to use another phone to reach 911.

If you think your activities are being monitored, they probably are. Abusive people are often controlling and want to know your every move. You don't need to be a computer programmer or have special skills to monitor someone's computer and internet activities. Anyone can do it and there are many ways to monitor with programs like spyware, keystroke loggers, and hacking tools. If you think you are being monitored on your home computer, be careful how you use it since an abuser might become suspicious.

Also, e-mail and text messaging are not safe or confidential ways to talk to someone about the danger or abuse in your life. Also remember computers can store a lot of private information. Visit the Domestic Violence Awareness Project online for more information.

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