MT. VERNON — October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the city of Mt. Vernon is looking to get residents involved in fighting the issue. Mt. Vernon mayor John Lewis signed a proclamation Friday encouraging residents to work with victim service programs, criminal justice officials, and other concerned citizens to raise public awareness on domestic violence issues.

Jefferson County State’s Attorney Sean Featherstun says domestic violence is more prevalent in the world around us than it appears.

According to the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, one out of every four women and one out of every ten men in the United States experience “sexual violence, physical violence, and/ or stalking by an intimate partner and reported an intimate partner violence-related impact during their lifetime.”