Domestic abuse survivors aim to spread awareness amid NFL controversy

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The issue of domestic violence is in the spotlight right now amid several NFL controversies, but victims and experts stress that it is a big problem outside of professional football.

Those who have been victimized by domestic violence are encouraged by the attention now given to the issue after the NFL's slow reaction to instances of abuse.

Survivors and advocates say they not only want to educate the public about the misconceptions about the men and women who are abused, but they also want to spark a discussion on how we can tackle this issue of violence as a whole.

Anna Pritchett is a part of a small but determined group of survivors looking to bring even more awareness to the crippling issue of domestic violence. She says she suffered 20-plus years of abuse at the hands of the father of her five children.

"Busted eyes, broken nose, beaten until I'm black and blue and bloody," Pritchett said. "No one was there to help me."

"The last straw was when he pushed me down a flight of stairs and I had to leave," said Jennifer Osbourn, a domestic violence survivor.

These local advocates passed out flyers after gathering outside the Thompson Center Thursday morning to highlight the abuse.

Gwendolyn Chubb of the non-profit group Broken Bonds Network says she's glad to see that progress was made in the NFL's decision to change its policy on domestic violence, but that it can't stop there.

"You go to get help, you seek help within the divorce and custody court system, and the more money that's involved, the greater the potential for women to lose their children to abusers," Chubb said.

The group says domestic violence victimizes millions of people each year. They say it can be physical, starting subtly as minor threats, then escalate to severe beatings.

Chubb adds that the abuse doesn't always involve a man as the aggressor and can also be psychological, sexual or emotional - what lawyer Michael Gerhardt says he's experiencing as he and his estranged wife battle over visitation issues.

"Over eight years and we're still fighting for something as simple as maintaining a relationship with my child," Gerhardt said.

Dr. Richard Carroll, associate professor of psychiatry at Northwestern Medicine, just completed a study on domestic violence among same-sex couples. He says education is the key to preventing the cycle of violence.

"How domestic violence occurs, what domestic violence is, just being able to label it and say, 'This is wrong,' is very important," Carroll said.

There are some domestic violence prevention programs operating in area schools as October is national domestic violence month.

President Obama and Vice President Biden will unveil a new White House campaign to combat domestic violence Friday.