Domestic violence is a problem that exists in every city, state and country in the world. Every nine seconds a woman is assaulted or beaten.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. Those numbers equate to 10 million men and women each year.

Two stories in Wednesday’s paper brought the ugly subject of domestic violence to light again here in Dallas County.

Justin Salter, a 26 year-old Selma man, was arrested Tuesday and charged with one count of aggravated child abuse and one count of second-degree domestic violence. Salter allegedly punched his 8-year-old stepson hard enough to fracture his jaw and knock out a tooth.

The court system will ultimately decide whether Salter is guilty or innocent, but the case still reinforces the point that domestic violence happens everywhere. It’s a problem that unfortunately isn’t going away any time soon and it happens to all genders, races and ages.

That’s why the work SABRA Sanctuary provides is so vital to our community. The nonprofit has recently expanded and is servicing more counties than ever before. Harriet’s House in Demopolis closed in 2014 and SABRA has expanded to service victims of domestic violence in that area, meaning the need is greater than ever.

SABRA is hosting a “Jane’s Attic Yard Sale” Saturday to raise funds. The event is also serving as a way to honor former board member and longtime SABRA sanctuary supporter Jane Pollack, who died in 2011. The sale will be held behind the SABRA Sanctuary office, which is located at 726 Dallas Avenue and will last from 7 a.m.-11 a.m.

SABRA’s goal is to one day help end domestic violence, one that we’d all like to see come to fruition.

Until then, there are plenty of women, children and men that need support in overcoming the pain and moving forward with their lives.