By MATT CHANDLER
mchandler@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1654

Statistically speaking, you probably know a woman who is currently living in an abusive relationship.

It may be physical, it may be one fueled by psychological threats, manipulation and control, but you know at least one victim, and probably more. With recent data suggesting one in four women will be victimized in an abusive relationship at some point in their lives, they are your neighbors, your coworkers, relatives, friends, the victim may even be you. The Family Justice Center sees firsthand the results of these abusive relationships, and the Buffalo non-profit has rolled out a unique new campaign aimed at getting the message to women that they do have options.

Mary Travers Murphy is the executive director of the FJC, and she says the one-in-four number is real — very real.

"I travel around speaking almost every day, and whether I am in East Aurora or East Buffalo, that number holds true," she says. "Domestic violence knows no economic boundaries, social boundaries, professional boundaries, it is everywhere."

Murphy says one of the struggles her organization faces is being able to reach victims when their every move is often tightly controlled by their abuser. It was with that in mind, that the latest campaign was born.

The Family Justice Center, thanks to financial support from the Verizon Foundation, designed and printed 4,000 posters with the simple message: "Violence happens behind closed doors. So does help." The posters, designed with the assistance of Eric Mower and Associates, include tear-off tabs with the contact information for the FJC. What makes the poster campaign unique, is location.

The bulk of the posters are being displayed inside of the stall's in women's rest rooms throughout Western New York. The idea, says Travers Murphy, is twofold.

"We wanted the chance to reach these women in a place where we have them as a captive audience for a few minutes," she says. "And we wanted them in a place where we knew there were going to be no perpetrators."

The FJC rolled out the campaign just prior to Thanksgiving and so far, Travers Murphy says the response has been overwhelming.

"We are getting them up in churches, on college campuses, stores, schools, everywhere," she says.

To spread the word, the FJC has collaborated with several organizations, among them Mount Mercy Academy in Buffalo. Sr. Mary Ellen Twist is the president of the all-girls Catholic School. She says the program fits perfectly into the school's overall mission.

"Our mission is particularly to serve women and children through education and advocacy around the issues women and children face in our society," she says. "We saw the mission with the Family Justice Center to be very much in line with where the needs are today."

Mount Mercy students are not only working to get the posters up in as many locations as possible, they are also educating themselves on the issues the Family Justice Center deals with on a daily basis.

"They aren't just delivering posters," she says. "They have worked to know the issues, they understand what the posters are about and they are able to explain it to people."

Education, say Travers Murphy, is critical to stemming the tide of abuse.

"We know these women are terrified to call," she says. They fear for their lives, they are afraid for their children, but if they see this poster, and they make that call, or come in, it could save their life."

To learn more about the campaign, visit www.fjcsafe.org.