By Catholic News Service • Posted October 12, 2015

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The National Council of Catholic Women has developed a resource manual called “Women Healing the Wounds” that provides information about the impact of domestic violence and the church’s response to it.

The 52-page document in English and Spanish is available to download free at http://nccw.org in the site’s “Spotlight” section. It includes a customizable safety flier, a section on teen-dating violence, various resources and Catholic teaching.

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In the U.S. October is observed as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

“For many years, NCCW has been active on the issue of domestic violence. We are hopeful this new resource will give courage to victims to leave their abuser as well as educate others on the signs exhibited by persons experiencing domestic violence,” Sheila Hopkins, NCCW president, said in a statement. “In the Catholic Church, we celebrate Respect Life in the month of October and this is a respect life issue as well.”

Citing statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in an announcement about the resource, NCCW said that nearly 1 out of every 4 U.S. women are the victims of severe violence from an intimate partner. It also said women are much more likely to be victims pf such violence because 85 percent of domestic abuse victims are women. “Violence of any kind — physical, sexual, psychological or verbal — is never justified,” NCCW said.

Since NCCW’s resolution on pornography in 1970 and its resolution on domestic violence in 1993, the organization has worked to raise awareness about the dangers of pornography and to protect women from domestic violence.

Domestic violence affects women, children and the workplace and is a critical health care issue, NCCW added.

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The resource “Women Healing the Wounds” can be downloaded here.