BEMIDJI, Minn. (Oct. 6, 2011) — Each year, Bemidji State University participates in the recognition of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month by co-sponsoring the Peace Walk to End Violence, a community event sponsored by the Northwoods Coalition for Family Safety and the Nokomagiisis  program.

This year’s Peace Walk will be held Saturday, Oct. 22, at 9 a.m. at the Bemidji waterfront park in downtown Bemidji.

The Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women releases an annual Femicide Report; according to the report, four women in northern Minnesota – defined by the report as within a three-hour radius of Bemidi – were killed in domestic violence situations in 2010. The victims ranged in age from 16-51, and all four died from gunshot wounds inflicted by boyfriends, ex-boyfriends or estranged husbands. Three of the four were murder-suicides.

“The need to raise awareness of domestic violence and create a strong community approach to addressing violence is an important step in achieving safety,” the Northwoods Coalition said.

Co-sponsors for the 2011 Peace Walk include Bemidji State University’s women’s studies program, the Excellence in Leadership Center, Lifestyle Educators, the Student Center for Health and Counseling, the American Indian Resource Center, Residential Life, and the Department of Criminal Justice. Other sponsors include the Northwoods Coalition for Family Safety and the Nokomagiisis program.

For more information, contact Jay Passa, Bemidji State University health education coordinator, at (218) 755-2080; or the Nokomagiisis program at (218) 444-0735.