The Yolanda Yvette Baker Domestic Violence and Abuse Program is in memory of Yolanda Baker - a mother, sister, daughter, aunt, cousin, and friend - who, in 1999, tragically became a domestic violence murder statistic at the age of 35.  By networking with other organizations, The Yolanda Yvette Baker Domestic Violence and Abuse Program is designed to help bring self esteem, and life back into the eyes, the hearts, and the souls of those most affected by domestic abuse and violence.  

It is anticipated that, in the United States, one in four women (25%) will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. According to the, Partnership Against Domestic Violence, every 9 seconds, another woman is beaten.  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that, every minute, about 20-24 people - both women and men - are assaulted or beaten in the United States. 

• Women in violent relationships are four times more likely to contract a sexually transmitted infection than those who are not,  
• One in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.   
• 40 - 70 percent of female murder victims killed by a husband or boyfriend were involved in an ongoing abusive relationship.
• Some studies suggest that up to 10 million children, per year in the US, witness violence against their mother or female caretaker by a family member. 
• Everyday in the United States, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends. 
• Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury for women - more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.
• Females ages 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 generally experienced the highest rates of intimate partner violence.  
• According to the National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS), African-American women experience higher rates of intimate partner homicide when compared to their White counterparts.  
• 90% of children exposed to intimate partner violence directly saw the violence happening as opposed to hearing it or other indirect forms, according to a 2011 survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.   
• Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in which someone uses physical, sexual, psychological or other types of harm against a current or former partner, an immediate family member or another relative. It can also include stalking, threats or other behaviors meant to manipulate or control someone else.
• Domestic violence is most commonly thought of as intimate partner abuse, but can also include violence from a family member. It is also important to note that 1 in 7 males will experience some form of severe physical partner in their lifetime. Startling statistics aren't they? This is just a glimpse into the dark world of domestic violence.  

It should then be understood that domestic violence makes its victims more likely to suffer from depression and suicidal behavior, and often negatively impacts a victim's ability to perform well at work. Without adequate financial means, victims may find themselves trapped in an abusive relationship without enough money to leave, which leads to low self esteem.  Founder, Crescentia O'Neal-Seralathan, understands this all too well.  She, herself, is a domestic violence and abuse survivor.

The YYBDVAP Empowerment Camp 

YYBDVAP Empowerment Camp is designed to take the healing process of domestic violence and abuse one step further in working to curtail the recidivism rate of the crime with the highest repeat rate, domestic violence and abuse against victims/survivors and their children. 

These experiences, imprinted by the terrifying emotions that accompany them, are held deeply in the mind, and perhaps more importantly, in the body. Carrying unresolved trauma into their lives impacts everything they do, often landing them in shelters, where they experience even more trauma, joblessness, and in a hopeless mental state.

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