The numbers are alarming. According to statistics provided by National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence, nearly one in every four women will experience domestic violence. In 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published data collected in 2005 that finds that women experience two million injuries from intimate partner violence each year. Females make up 84 percent of domestic violence victims, and those between the ages of 20 to 24 are at greatest risk. Most cases of domestic violence are never reported to police.

The Administration for Children and Families’ Division of Family Violence Prevention and Services will host a “National Domestic Violence Awareness Unity Call” on Tuesday, Oct. 2, from 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time).

Each year, advocates, leaders and representatives from counseling centers and domestic violence shelters call in to participate in the nationwide event that observes National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. On the call, participants:

• Mourn those who have died because of domestic violence
• Celebrate advancements made in supporting survivors
• Connect those within the movement to end violence against women and girls

CNN Headline News Anchor Christi Paul is the year's special guest on the call. Paul, a survivor of domestic violence, will talk about her experience. She recently published Love Isn’t Supposed to Hurt, where she uses her personal story to help others in need. Paul also advocates for children as a board of directors member with Safe Kids Georgia and as an ambassador for Liz Claiborne’s Love Is Not Abuse.

Register for this FREE event at http://dvam2012nationalcallofunity.eventbrite.com

Upon registering, you will receive two confirmation emails. One will ask you to "print your ticket and bring it to the event,” which will include call-in details. You can participate from any location using a landline or mobile phone.

Since 1987, October has been designated Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The very first commemorative legislation recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month was passed by Congress two years later and every year since.