The federal government shutdown began on the first day of Domestic Violence Awareness month, and experts say it’s a good time to discuss how financial stress and job uncertainty can factor into domestic and family violence.

The 12th Annual Purple Light Nights held by the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office brought together law enforcement, domestic violence survivors and advocates.

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The sheriff’s office believes a preemptive approach is the way to address the type of family violence that, according to federal statistics, victimizes one in four women and one in seven men.

Sheriff John Carr notes experts have determined “financial stress” is a big contributing factor.

An estimated 70,000 federal workers live in Princ

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