Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.
DURING THE FIRST QUARTER of today’s Super Bowl, listen closely to a commercial that starts with a telephone call. A woman orders a pizza, half mushroom, half pepperoni. Except she’s not really ordering a pizza.
In the first ever Super Bowl ad addressing the issue of domestic violence and sexual assault, the NO MORE movement makes a powerful statement.
See for yourself by clicking here.
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ANGEL, AMBER, ANGEL, Beverly, Carrie, Doris, Katie, Kelly, Kelly, Kiela, Komel, Laura, Lorraine, Michelle, Miranda, Susan, Towanda, Richard, Amelia, British, Francesca, Prince and Raniya.
Twenty-three names.
Twenty-three victims.
Twenty-three individuals murdered.
Last week the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women released its annual Femicide Report dedicated to the 23 children, women and men who lost their lives in Minnesota in 2014 as a result of domestic violence.
If you care, and you should, I’d suggest you read this report by clicking here.
You will see their faces. You will read their stories. Horrible stories. These victims were strangled, shot, stabbed, beaten and more.
This could be your daughter, your sister, your niece, your friend, your neighbor, your brother, your mother…don’t think it can’t be.
Recognize the red flags (click here) that are signs of an abusive relationship. Refuse to buy into excuses for, or accept, violent and emotionally controlling and manipulative behavior.
Trust your gut. There’s a reason you are questioning someone’s words or actions. If something doesn’t feel or seem right, it’s not. Lies are not truth.
Educate yourself. Knowledge is power.
Listen.
Seek help. No one—victims or families—has to go this alone.
FYI: If you are in an abusive relationship, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or a domestic violence hotline in your community.
To learn more about a national campaign against domestic violence, click here to reach the NO MORE website.
Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
I will be honest here. I see this every day on my job.
Yes, there are horrible situations and women (as well as men) need to find the strength and resources to get out of dangerous relationships.
But there are many reasons that they don’t,, however, and no one should judge them for their decisions. Many do not get out, knowing that they will be in even more danger if they were to leave. And they often are in more danger. Statistically, the chances that they or their children will be seriously hurt or killed go up as they attempt to disengage from a dangerous relationship.
There is another side to this that is often scoffed at, but those in the system see every day. Claims of abuse are used as a weapon against a partner to gain advantage in the relationship, or a breaking off of a relationship. That is in itself a type of emotional abuse.
There are also the situations in which there is a disturbing joint dance of violence between partners. I have heard this type of thing on audio tapes made by children who are frightened by the level of violence exchanged between the adults in their lives. And unfortunately, this is a spiral of violence that seems to cycle down to the next generation.
My point is that it is a very complicated issue. The services provided need to acknowledge that in order to effectively break the cycles and save lives.
The public needs to be educated about identifying all of it. This ad is a start, but just a start.
You offer an insider’s insight that is invaluable. Thank you for this thoughtful comment. Domestic violence is, indeed, a complicated issue.
And I agree. This ad is just a start.
This is a timely post, Audrey… considering today, the Super Bowl event, unfortunately, happens to be the largest human trafficking venue in the world. We need to raise awareness and put an end to these types of atrocities – both domestic violence and human trafficking. Let’s quit looking the other way and pretending these issues do not exist. What is wrong with us, that we do not step forward to protect and defend the victims? Thank you for posting so many informative links.
You’re welcome. This is the least I can do– help inform and educate.
Your question, “What is wrong with us…?” is a pertinent one.
I read a blog written by a woman from Minnesota whose sister was killed by domestic violence. Her blog is all about bringing attention to these crimes as well as recognising the signs so something can be done before it’s all too late xx
I believe this is the blog you’ve read: http://myinnerchick.com/
Check it our readers, as well as this blog by a survivor of domestic abuse: http://ladywithatruck.com/
Powerful stuff here that will tell it like it is.
Wow, a plus for the Super Bowl commercials-a perfect lead in for your blog site to keep ongoing discussions about domestic abuse/violence and raise awareness of the the issue. Audrey, you are doing a real service for your community of readers. KUDOS to you 🙂
Thank you, Sue. That’s my goal, to raise awareness.
That was an amazing ad–and I took special care to watch for it because I read about it here beforehand–thanks!
You are most welcome, Kerry.
It was an amazing ad. I hope it made an impression on the millions of viewers watching the Super Bowl.
Great Commercial – it certainly had Mr. Crave’s attention! I enjoyed the Always commercial about being a girl too. Great Game – probably one of the better Super Bowls I have seen and the half time show was amazeballs 🙂
I watched only snippets of the game and caught just the end of the NO MORE ad. My husband, bless him, even agreed to miss part of the Super Bowl so I could watch Downton Abbey. Yes, we have only one TV. The end of the game was a bit like a brawl, it seemed to me.
I’m curious as to what Mr. Craves had to say about the NO MORE spot.
He basically asked me if that lady in the ad just ordered a pizza. I told him that is code to law enforcement that you are having a DV situation. He thought the ad was very powerful. I told him the NFL is a sponsor of the No More Campaign as well as the Mentors In Violence Prevention (MVP) Program.
Thanks for the explanation and additional info about the NFL and MVP’s involvement.
A great commercial which I did see; I must admit though it was 15 seconds or so into the commercial before I caught on. Yes, I too applaud them for airing that commercial and brining attention to this problem. Earlier in the week I had listened to a program on AFR and they were talking of human trafficking being a “big” thing at super bowl. Both hubby and I were astonished to hear the details and operations of human trafficking and how the Cartels are operating on the streets of our cities. Thanks for continuing to bring these issues to the forefront of our attention.
I’m not surprised at this.
We must keep educating ourselves and do what we can to inform others and make a difference.
Thank you for your informative comment.