Women and violence: David Lynch Foundation - Women’s Initiative
An epidemic of violence and abuse
Domestic violence, rape and violent assault are all around us. Consider these facts:
- One out of four women will be assaulted or raped by their spouse or intimate partner during their lifetime, and nearly 3 million children are witnesses to it every year.
- 250,000 children are at risk of becoming victims of sex trafficking every year.
- In the military, 19,000 incidences of rape and sexual assault against female military personnel were recorded in 2010 alone.
Healing and empowering women and girls
To help combat the epidemic of violence and assault against women and children, the David Lynch Foundation launched a Women's Initiative in 2012 that offers Transcendental Meditation, an evidence-based, alternative therapy shown to heal and empower victims of abuse. The Initiative partners with leaders in the field of domestic violence and human trafficking across the U.S. and around the world to provide this therapy to women and children who need it most. Key findings from over 340 peer-reviewed studies include:
- Reduced flashbacks and bad memories
- Greater resistance to stress
- Twice the effectiveness of conventional approaches for reducing alcoholism and substance abuse
- 42% decrease in insomnia
- Twice as effective as other relaxation techniques for decreasing trait anxiety
- Improved quality of life
L'initiative des femmes de la Fondation David Lynch est désormais en partenariat avec le (New York City Family Justice Center) Centre de justice familiale de la ville de New York afin d'enseigner la technique de Méditation Transcendantale (MT) aux femmes qui sont victimes de violence familiale pour les aider à surmonter le stress traumatique, briser le cycle infernal de la violence, et pour leur permettre de reprendre le contrôle de leur vie.
Sur la base de ces premiers résultats encourageants, la Fondation Avon pour les femmes a fait une généreuse donation pour soutenir l'Initiative des Femmes de la Fondation David Lynch.
New York City Family Justice Center
The NYC Family Justice Centers are a public-private partnership of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Domestic Violence. These innovative Centers help guide domestic violence victims and their children to a life free of violence by co-locating essential social, self-sufficiency, criminal justice and civil legal services under one roof. Through their three locations in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, the Family Justice Centers aid 1,300 women and children each month.
AVON foundation for Women
In its 50-year history, the Avon Foundation for Women has positively affected the lives of millions of women around the world and is a leader in the fight against domestic violence. As the largest corporate-affiliated philanthropy organization dedicated to women’s causes, the Avon Foundation for Women has given $50 million in support of awareness, education, prevention programs, and direct service aimed at reducing domestic and gender violence.
For more information on the Women’s Health Initiative, contact Women@DavidLynchFoundation.org