For many, these past few months have been heart wrenching and painful.

In July, University of Iowa student and Brooklyn, Iowa native, Mollie Tibbetts was reported missing.

In early August, the body of Muscatine native, Sadie Alvarado was found along a gravel road.

In late August, Tibbetts’ body was also found by authorities, hidden in a corn field not far from the route she was last seen running.

In September, former Iowa State women’s golfer Celia Barquín Arozamena was found dead at the Coldwater Golf Links in Ames, Iowa. She had been killed while practicing a sport that she loved.

Yet these three women were mourned by not just their friends and family, but a nation trying to come to terms with a system of violence that targets women throughout all aspects of their lives; whether it be going out with friends, running alone or hanging out with a significant other.

Global estimates indicate about 35 percent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, according to the World Health Organization. It is also estimated that as many as “38 percent of murders of women are committed by a male intimate partner.”

This violence disproportionately impacts young, low income and minority women. According to the National Organization for Women, “women aged 20 to 24 are at the greatest risk of nonfatal domestic violence and women aged 24 and under suffer from the highest rates of rape.”

This is toxic and must end, both for the sake of the women whose lives are at stake, but also the implications this violence has on our society.

Yet, like many things in the fast-paced environment that is today’s news cycle, the deaths of Tibbetts, Alvarado and Arozamena have all but escaped the public eye.

It is important to remember these women, and all the victims of violence that have come both before and after them, so that we can begin to fully address the invasiveness of this issue in our culture.

This is why, as October recognizes Domestic Violence Awareness Month, it is worth applauding campus organizations such as Green Dot, the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center, the Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and the Latin@ Graduate Student Association for organizing the “Solidarity Walk with Womxn” on Wednesday.

With attendees encouraged to gather in front of Parks Library at 11:30 a.m., the walk will begin at 11:55 a.m. and will end in front of the Sloss House. Marchers are encouraged to wear yellow and “join us as we stride against violence.”

Violence manifests itself in many different ways, whether it be everyday microaggressions or emotional, sexual or physical abuse.

Show your support for womxn and walk in solidarity on Wednesday. It is important to not just mourn in reaction to violence against women but to serve as someone who actively supports and advocates for their empowerment and protection.