Your Story Can Help: KQED Is Reporting on Domestic Violence in the Bay Area

Domestic violence is a public health crisis that exists behind closed doors.

In California, around 35% of women and 31% of men have experienced some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetimes, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

When you break the statistics down by race, the picture looks even bleaker.

According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey from 2016 and 2017, 53.6% of Black women and 57.6% of Black men in the state experienced sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner.

Meanwhile, the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence estimates that 16 to 55% of Asian American women report experiencing some form of domestic violence during their lifetimes.

KQED will be reporting on how systemic and cultural factors affect how people respond to domestic violence. We will be speaking with survivors, community leaders and service providers in the Bay Area to see what can be done to address violence in the home.

We want to speak with you.

If domestic violence in the Asian or Black communities is an issue that resonates with you, or if you have a personal story or experience you would like to share, we’d love to listen.

Here are three ways to share your story:

• Fill out the short form below
• Email me at slim@kqed.org
• Call 415-553-2313

Please include your first name — or a preferred alias — and the best way to contact you. Your information will not be shared publicly, and nothing you write or say will be published without your consent.

If you or someone you love needs immediate assistance addressing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 or 800-799-7233 for TTY. If you’re unable to speak safely, go online or text LOVEIS to 22522.

Editor’s note: This project is supported by the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s California Health Equity Fellowship.