BATON ROUGE - October is recognized as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and East Baton Rouge Parish is working to reduce the number of domestic abuse cases in the area by, first of all, raising awareness of the problem.

The Capital Area Family Violence Intervention Center, also known as the Iris Domestic Violence Center serves a seven-parish area around the capital city and functions as a core resource to those in abusive situations.

Iris helms initiatives dedicated to educating the public about the signs of domestic abuse.

For example, indications that one is in an abusive relationship include:

-partner attempts to isolate their significant other from family and friends
-partner emotionally or sexually abuses their significant other
-partner stalks or intimidates their significant other

Any Louisiana resident affected by domestic violence is encouraged to call a 24-hour, toll-free crisis line at 1-888-411-1333.