Annual Heels 2 Heal walk expanded this year to include focus on recent community violence

SALT LAKE CITY — Organizers of an annual walk to raise awareness about domestic violence prevention expanded their focus this year to include community violence.

The walk was held Saturday, the last day of October and the last day of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Officials from Utah-based Pacific Island Knowledge to Action Resources said the 12th Annual Heels 2 Heal Walk for Violence Prevention and Community Peace allows more men to stand in solidarity with domestic violence victims and survivors.

That's because men are specifically encouraged and invited to participate as active partners in the solution, the group wrote on Facebook. As a symbol of solidarity, men were invited to wear high heels during the walk.

"Our men? They are the highest abusers," said CEO Susi Feltch-Malohifo'ou, "and so we must have men be part of this movement."

According to results from the 2023/2024 "Intimate Partner Violence Data Brief," published by the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, one in five women in the United States "experienced contact sexual violence and ... nearly one in four women in the U.S. experienced physical violence."

About one in 23 men experienced contact sexual violence, the CDC reported, and about 1 in 7 experienced physical violence.

The walk took place at the International Peace Gardens in Salt Lake City.

Domestic violence resources

If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, help is available.

The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465).

Resources are also available online at the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition website.

Other ways to seek help include:

• YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
• Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233

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