"Domestic violence is not a family problem. It is a crime that often results in serious injury and
death. Although there are nearly 5.3 million partner victimizations each year in the U.S. among
women ages 18 and older, resulting in two million injuries and 1,300 deaths, many people in the
Greek Orthodox community – both clergy and active parishioners alike – believe we do not have
a problem with domestic violence. Among those who state there may be a problem, most believe
it occurs only among immigrant or less educated women. When asked how they reached this
conclusion, most state that as no victims or hardly any ever reveal the problem to them, domestic
violence must not occur.
Why are our women silent? Perhaps because we are.
Whether by fact, practice or misinterpretation, our religion teaches us that marriage is a lifetime
commitment, our traditions assign women the role of keeping our families together, our pride in
our heritage causes us to deny our imperfections, our culture defines disclosure as shameful, and
our language prevents us from accessing mainstream services. And so, we are silent."