WHEREAS, domestic abuse and violence are serious injustices that affect people and families of all races, ages, genders and income levels; and

WHEREAS, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men has experienced abuse and violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, and trans and gender non-binary people experience abuse from partners at disproportionate rates; and

WHEREAS, each year, nearly half of all homicides in Maine are related to domestic abuse and violence; and

WHEREAS, over 14,000 Maine people affected by domestic violence reach out for help each year; and

WHEREAS, domestic abuse and violence are preventable through public education initiatives, advocacy for better policies and support systems, resources for people affected by abuse, and holding perpetrators to account; and

WHEREAS, all Maine people have opportunities to support people experiencing abuse and violence, challenge the behavior of abusive people, and transform the belief systems that allow abuse to thrive; and

WHEREAS, together, our individual actions are what will end domestic abuse;

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby recognize October 2023 as

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

throughout the State of Maine, and I urge all citizens to recognize this observance.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the Great Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed GIVEN under my hand at Augusta this tenth day of October Two Thousand Twenty Three