The National Domestic Violence Awareness Month is bringing light to a violent issue across the country and the University of Wisconsin campus.

According to Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment spokesperson Jacqueline O’Reilly, one issue concerning domestic abuse is a lack of true understanding on the topic by students on campus.

“When a lot of people think about domestic violence, they think about a heterosexual couple,” O’Reilly said.

O’Reilly said this perspective is not true, as domestic violence can occur in not only heterosexual relationships but many others, including homosexual relationships and between roommates.

“It’s a broader topic than most people understand it to be,” she said.

While national awareness is the theme of the month, bringing this issue to campus is essential for UW students’ understanding, said Shannon Barry, executive director of Domestic Abuse Intervention Services.

Barry added a major problem is the fact that many women do not feel comfortable discussing violence involving themselves or those around them.

“The biggest issue is that even though we know statistically that women between 16 and 24 are at the greatest risk for domestic partner violence, many don’t identify that,” Barry said.

Barry said one in four women will be a victim of domestic violence at some point in her lifetime, but national statistics show less than 1 percent are reported to law enforcement officials.

University Health Services Violence Against Women Prevention Program Training Coordinator Shira Rosenthal Phelps reiterated this point, arguing that not only must this informational void be breached, but individuals on campus must be willing to take action.

“It is a really important thing to remember that even if we are not victims of dating violence, we know people in our lives struggling with this,” Phelps said. “If you see a situation where somebody might be in danger, there are ways to get involved. Let people know that we are not a culture that supports that in any way.”

According to Phelps, there are many resources available to students on campus, including her own UHS office, which works with campus and community partners on sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.

“UHS counseling has a number of individuals very well-trained to work with students being abused in their relationships,” Phelps said.

O’Reilly said places to get involved this month concerning domestic violence include a domestic violence in the media workshop Oct. 13, a speaker addressing stories of women affected by domestic abuse Oct. 19 and a film screening of the movie “Waitress” Oct. 25.

“What we do is correct myths people might have about domestic violence,” O’Reilly said. “Be aware of the problems so when you’re out there on a day-to-day basis, you’re not perpetuating these myths and your peers are aware.”

O’Reilly said this correcting myths is especially important in relation to the desensitizing effect media can have concerning domestic violence.

Barry said information is key to the issue of domestic violence on campus.

“UW is working hard to make sure that all incoming students are aware of their rights,” Barry said. “The number one thing is talking about it [and] acknowledging that dating violence and sexual assault does happen on campus. It is an issue that impacts college-age students, and there are a lot of resources available.”