Another Reason To Fall In Love With Mariska Hargitay

We love Mariska Hargitay, who’s an example of a celeb who really uses her platform for good. Now, she’s drawing attention to an important cause.

Hargitay, who was inspired to found her Joyful Heart Foundation after she began hearing from victims of domestic abuse, writes on the Huffington Post to promote the documentary Telling Amy’s Story. It’s the chilling account of the 2001 murder of Amy Homan-McGee, whose abusive husband shot her to death after she attempted to leave him.

We wish it was a unique scenario. Even knowing the statistics, seeing them laid out is chilling. From Hargitay’s article:

One in three women will experience physical or sexual abuse in her lifetime. More than 32 million Americans are affected by domestic violence each year. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women in the United States, with women aged 16-24 most vulnerable to intimate partner violence. And three women — women from every walk of life, women like Amy Homan-McGee — are murdered by their intimate partners every day.

What’s shocking — and shockingly common — about Amy’s story was the amount of looking the other way in the face of systemic and escalating abuse. In the words of one investigator in the film, “people have to hear this.” And in the words of one YouTube commenter, “Share it. Spread it around in any way you know how to. GET THIS MESSAGE OUT!” It can’t be said enough.