Singer Naomi Judd Featured Speaker For Winston-Salem Domestic Violence Event

Grammy award winning country singer Naomi Judd is coming to Winston–Salem Thursday, Oct. 16 as part of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  Judd will use her own story of survival to help educate the public about the growing problem.

The topic of domestic violence has been getting a lot of attention lately because of high-profile cases involving NFL players.

Naomi Judd will be the keynote speaker at an event to raise money for local domestic violence programs. The "Home Free" benefit luncheon is hosted by Family Services and the Children's Law Center of Central North Carolina.

Judd says she was physically abused and raped by her boyfriend while living in Hollywood with her two daughters in the early 1970's.

"I wish there had been a shelter for battered women in West Hollywood in 1973,” says Judd.

She says her message in Winston-Salem is that anyone can be a victim of domestic violence, and its important to educate young women.

“You have to change the culture. One of my hopes is to reach young girls in middle school and high school. That's when you first get into your relationships," says Judd. "When they text you 20 times a day, when they try to isolate you and keep you away from your own family, these are concerns. We have to talk to them about all of these warning signs.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, one in four women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime. Last year, domestic violence programs throughout North Carolina served more than 57,000 victims.

Follow Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news