With the upcoming Valentine’s Day One Billion Rising event, islanders are joining the global movement to protest violence against women. The United Nations Development Fund for Women estimates that at least one in every three women globally has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime.

Even without alarming statistics, it is easy to rally people’s sympathies around such acts as the recently publicized rapes in India, the ongoing struggles in the Congo and the beatings of women in Northern Mali. And no doubt, this is what many of the people involved will be rising up against, and with good reason.

But I want to bring the focus to the local level. Talking about rape and violence on Vashon takes people by surprise. The image of our bucolic Island clashes with the idea of such brutality. But it is here, well-hidden though it may be. The advocates who work and volunteer at The DoVE Project, the anti-domestic violence program on Vashon, hear the stories firsthand. Women come to us, frightened and ashamed, imagining that they are the only ones to suffer their circumstances. “You are not alone,” we tell them.

The fact is, abuse exists here on Vashon at an unacceptable level. Since the inception of DoVE on Vashon nearly two years ago, we have served more than 90 people. The first year alone, clients told our advocates about 17 misdemeanors and seven felonies that were not reported to law enforcement. DoVE has provided basic advocacy services, such as safety planning, for more than 30 people. We have helped with nearly a dozen protection orders, and 33 people have been to our support groups. Our hotline logged 120 calls in 2012 alone. We suspect that there are also a great number of incidents that go unreported.

Living under the threat of physical violence is terrifying, but it is not the only type of abuse. Within the population we serve, most agree that physical wounds are the quickest to heal. Emotional abuse — being convinced that you are worthless or wrong or stupid — takes years to overcome.

DoVE’s working definition of domestic abuse is: “A pattern of behavior used in an intimate relationship to establish control of one partner over the other. The abuser uses physical, sexual, and emotional abuse to terrorize, intimidate, and manipulate the targeted partner. Domestic violence occurs among all socioeconomic, racial, religious, and cultural groups. Without intervention it will escalate in frequency and intensity.” (Domestic Abuse Women’s Network).

There are ways that we can all help break the chain of violence locally and globally. If you suspect someone is suffering, ask if you can help; volunteer for an organization that works to prevent violence. If you cannot give time, give money. Any little bit helps those in need.

You can also get involved politically. On the state level, there are currently bills on the floor that affect victims, such as House Bill 1108, which modifies the definition of third-degree rape. Currently there is an exemption in the law so that a spouse cannot be convicted of rape. Let our lawmakers know that we want this bill to pass.

On the federal level, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), called “a landmark piece of legislation” by the National Domestic Violence Hotline, is up for reauthorization in the U.S. Senate and will likely pass, but the bill may be in trouble in the House. Urge U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott to do what he can to see that the bill passes.

Only if we continue the discourse, if we refuse to turn a blind eye to those who are suffering, can we make change. DoVE’s services exist because there is a dedicated group of volunteers who care about curbing violence. As advocates for all those who are affected by domestic violence (recognizing that 5 to 10 percent of victims are male), we are joining in to protest violence against women on Valentine’s Day. We are planning to strike, rise, dance and say “no more” to violence of any type on Vashon.

— Tavi Black is the director of The DoVE Project.

Learn more about pending state legislation at www.wscadv.org or check the blog on The DoVE Project’s website, www.vashondoveproject.org.