Florida State University’s College of Social Work Institute for Family Violence Studies and the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council sponsored “Behind the Door,” an event to help end the silence surrounding domestic violence on September 24, 2014. The event was free, open to the public and featured a rallying march followed by speakers and dinner.

“This year’s event is especially important because of the prevalence of domestic violence in our culture and in the media lately,” said Kelly O’Rourke of the Institute for Family Violence Studies. “This year our focus is on campus dating violence and domestic violence in younger relationships.”

The march started from three separate locations: Florida A&M University, the Florida Capitol and the Florida State University Integration Statue on Woodward Avenue. The groups converged at the Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center for the dinner portion of the event.

During the dinner, the speaker, a survivor of domestic violence, was a former FSU student who survived a year of emotional and physical abuse. The Institute also had two of her friends speak on  how they tried to help her, how they succeeded and/or failed, and the impact on all of their lives.

“Their stories give us insights into how younger and dating relationships can also harbor domestic violence and abuse and that there is a way out and there is help out there,” O’Rourke said.