10/06/2026
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Given that we spend our time making comfort scarves, we may not need to be reminded of the prevalence of Domestic Violence. But sometimes we’re so involved in the making of the scarves that we do forget the reasoning behind their need. Here’s a few things to think about.
One in three women are affected by domestic partner violence. Not all seek the protection of a shelter. Many do flee their abusive environment, but return to it due to loneliness, hope, fear, and many other reasons. Historically, a woman leaves her abusive environment 7 times before she is willing to begin the therapy and education she needs for an abuse-free future.
Funding for shelters has always been limited and inadequate. It is even more so today. One of our contacts at Rainbow Services, our first shelter in San Pedro, told me their staff declined from 100 down to 30. That impacts the number of women they serve.
Not every woman who flees her abusive environment finds a bed in a shelter. Shelter beds are limited and almost always full. Fleeing DV often causes a woman to become homeless. Sometimes she leaves an abusive spouse/partner for what she hopes will be a better life on the street only to find that she is abused there too.
Shelters help women obtain restraining orders against their abusers, but, it is hard to get a restraining order. Only 21% of those requested are actually granted. Once granted, it is even harder to have them enforced. Sometimes, there is no address, or no correct address. Sometimes, the sheriff is too busy. And, sometimes, when the sheriff enforces the order, the abuser is released the next day. The LAPD cited a study by Johns Hopkins University that found 11% of women killed by males (with whom they had an intimate relationship) had restraining orders. 20% of those women were killed within 2 days of receiving the order; 33% were killed within one month.
It is unlikely that an abuser will be prosecuted after a restraining order has been enforced. In 2025, 84% of domestic violence battery cases were rejected by the city attorney. There are so many cases and too few prosecutors. Prosecutors don’t like to take on cases that they might not win. And abuse survivors don’t always have the evidence needed to bring a winnable case against their abuser.
This is a sad picture of the state of support for women who experience domestic violence. It’s hard to see how one of our comfort scarves helps a woman in this situation, but we know it does. Yes, a restraining order would help even more. Prosecution of the abuser would help even more than a restraining order. But given how limited both of those are, we can support these women by making and giving our beautiful comfort scarves.
So keep making our beautiful comfort scarves. We never have enough. Honest. Shelters love them, as you well know. Scarves for abuse survivors are our focus. We need to KEEP OUR NEEDLES CLICKING to be ready for up-and-coming holiday parties. What will make us “ready” is having plenty of comfort scarves. We depend on you!
Send your contributions to: Handmade Especially for You c/o Leslye Borden
30065 Grandpoint Lane
Rancho Palos Verdes CA 900275
Handmade is a 501(c)3 non-profit charity. We send receipts for all donations.
Leslye
Handmade’s mission is to help abused and/or homeless women, teens and children who have sought the protection of a shelter. Our numbers grow every time we ship. They are amazing: since the end of 2008 when we started, we’ve shipped 205,301 comfort scarves, 21,247 hats, 4,332 baby items, 284 shawls, 141 blankets/afghans, and around 445 amigurumi; so far in 2026, 7,990 scarves, 810 hats, 63 shawls, 4 blankets and 190 amigurumi. Evidently, no matter how many comfort scarves and hats we make and distribute, there still are more women, teens and children who need them. KEEP YOUR NEEDLES CLICKING!!! Thanks for all you do to help these vulnerable members of society.
