Christine Watson

It is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so you may see more people wearing purple. It serves as a symbol of peace, courage, survival, honor, and personal dedication to domestic violence awareness. WEMU's David Fair checked in with the executive director of Safehouse Center in Washtenaw County for a picture of what is happening locally. Christine Watson is the guest on this week's edition of "Washtenaw United."

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and this year's theme for the month is "Building Connected Communities." SafeHouse Center executive director Christine Watson joined WEMU's David Fair to give a preview of the month-long educational campaign and highlight the ongoing challenges to prevent sexual assaults and help survivors.

For most, the holiday season is celebratory and something to look forward to, but certainly not for everyone. Imagine that you are a survivor of domestic violence or sexual abuse and you and potentially your children are living in a shelter just to stay safe. To talk about what that’s like and what we as a community can do to help, WEMU's David Fair checked in with SafeHouse Center executive director Christine Watson for a different perspective on the holiday season.

The number of domestic violence and sexual assault cases are not going down. In fact, in many areas, it’s going up. In Washtenaw County, there have been four fatal incidents of intimate partner violence in the last year. Christine Watson is executive director of SafeHouse Center in Washtenaw County, and it is struggling to meet the needs of all those in need. Christine speaks to WEMU's David Fair to provide some insights into what is needed to better address these issues as a community.