Facing the Problem The word “domestic” is defined by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary as “of, relating to the household or the family”. When relating to something that has to do with an individual’s household or family, we consider this to be a personal or private matter. The word “violence” is defined as “exertion of physical force so as to injure or abuse”. When relating to violence it is something public. However, when used together “Domestic Violence” is something that people are not willing to talk about because it is considered a “private matter”. C.T. Bowen’s article “Silence is not answer to Domestic Violence” in the Tampa Bay Times offers some insight to this issue. Bowen’s article targets Pasco County commissioner that finds himself accused with domestic battery despite his effort 12 years earlier to donate a quarter million dollars to Sunrise, a domestic violence agency to acquire a building. Bowen details the events that led to the commissioner’s wife to get a no-contact order and also an apology by the commissioner. The commissioners’ decision to label the incident a “personal and private matter” and his failure to “accept specific responsibilities for his actions…” is what prompted this article. To gain some creditability that silence is an issue, Bowen provides shocking statistics provided by Sunrise regarding domestic violence homicides. While the case with the commissioner wasn’t a homicide, Bowen’s use of that particular statistic was very intentional. The statistics reveal that in many domestic violence cases family and friends of the victim and perpetrator are aware that there was trouble in the home but they didn’t know what to do, therefore, remaining silent. While the statistics provided were merely a snapshot into Pasco County’s domestic violence reports, Bowen could have compared his findings to national statistics from a source like the