Eight years ago, in a matter of hours, the face of society changed because of what the few did to the many. As we reflect, let us also be mindful of the millions who suffer daily at the hands of those they once trusted.

11 September 2009

Today, we pause to honor the dead and shake our heads. Over three thousand souls perished for reasons we still can’t fathom. As we ponder this momentous event, let us acknowledge another national tragedy, one we can do something about through the power of knowledge.

The leading cause of injury to females between the ages of 14 and 44 occurs at the hands of their intimate partners. Women over the age of 65, particularly those with means, are emerging as the second highest risk group. Statistics from national agencies memorialize these losses for every 24-hour period in this country:

• 43 murders
• 16,000 days of housework
• 21,000 rapes
• 32,000 days of income-producing work
• 54,000 health care visits

“Millions of women are wasting their lives, and the lives of those who depend on them, in hopelessly abusive relationships. Business is losing billions and government is spending billions on the effects of all that waste. The cost in emotional suffering is incomprehensible. This is a high price to pay. We will need wound-dressing for a long time, but this can ultimately be prevented,” says author Anna Moss.

These powerful words come from an abuse survivor whose daring new book, RELATIONSHIP RED FLAGS—37 Life Lessons from a Journey through Abuse reveals the truth and consequences of abusive entanglements. Moss takes the reader deep into the warning signs and their agenda. Readers will learn:

• How abusers are made
• What they look for and why
• How not to play into their hands
• How to spot them from a safe distance
• Why warning signs are hard to see and hard to believe

The waste inherent in abusive relationships is beyond tracking. The discernment needed to recognize and avoid or exit these relationships is counter-intuitive, but it can be learned. Knowledge is power. What we don’t know can destroy us. In the realm of relationships between human beings, discernment is the lever for change and hope.

www.relationshipredflags.com

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copyright (c) 2009 Anna Y Moss

Author's Bio: 

Trained as an anthropologist and analyst, Anna has worked as a freelance marketing and technical writer since 1991. A publications specialist, she has worked with growing companies—from start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations on marketing and technical projects. She is a passionate advocate of the entrepreneur, which she considers the financial backbone of the country.

Anna did undergraduate work in Anthropology and English at the University of Texas at Austin. She did postgraduate work in Publishing at the University of California at Berkeley.

Although Anna has served on writing and editing teams of business books read by tens of millions of readers for two decades, RELATIONSHIP RED FLAGS is her first book.