Domestic Violence Awareness campaign targets students

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Recent studies show more than 12 million women and men are victims of some type of domestic violence every year and Travis County hopes to change that.

The Sheriff’s Office is expected to announce its annual awareness campaign against domestic violence on Wednesday morning ahead of National Domestic Violence Awareness month in October.

This year, the campaign is directly speaking to high school students. The theme is "Football is a contact sport... Love shouldn't be".

The sheriff's office along with the Texas Advocacy Project and SAFE have partnered with school districts in Travis, Bastrop, Hays, and Williamson counties to prevent domestic violence. The campaign will urge more than 4,000 high school football players to promote safe, healthy relationships.

According to the national domestic violence hotline, on average, 24 Americans per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner.

Throughout October, football players will wear purple ribbon decals on their helmets and varsity volleyball teams will wear purple shoe laces.

If you or someone you know needs help, you can call the Texas Advocacy Project at 1-8000-374-HOPE(4673). It gives free legal services for victims of domestic violence. Or contact SAFE, which provides emergency shelter, counseling and other types of services. The hotline number is 512-267-SAFE(7233) and is open 24/7.