More than one-in-three women has been beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime.

"I was surprised," Wedge said. "When you talk about violence against women and girls, I don't think there's anything more horrible than picturing something like that. One-in-three is absolutely ridiculous. There's no other word for it."

And while it's a topic most want to avoid, the Indians have gotten involved to spread the word on an issue that transcends all lines and affects millions of women.

Wedge, his wife, Kate, and several Indians players and their wives were on hand on Wednesday for a press conference promoting the start of V-Day, a two-week festival of theatre, spoken word, performance and community events presented by the Until the Violence Stops Northeast Ohio.

The Akron-based festival, which runs from June 17 to July 1, will look to bring attention to a taboo issue that particularly hits home.

In Ohio alone, police respond to 101,600 domestic violence calls with about half of those resulting in an arrest. There's an average of 129 domestic violence-related deaths and an average of 4,129 reported rapes, or 40.1 rapes per 100,000 people, which is above the national average of 32.1 per 100,000 people.

"We as a society need to do everything possible to put an end to this senseless violence," said Kate Wedge.

Which is why the Indians were so glad to use their platform to help.

"Unless somebody stands up to it, we're going to have a problem," Eric Wedge said. "The biggest thing we want to get across to everybody is awareness and for everyone to understand what kind of epidemic this is."

"Violence against women is not just a woman's issue," said Deb Lemire, the festival's event producer. "It's a community issue. And through the Indians, we'll be able to reach thousands."

Trot and Kathryn Nixon, C.C. and Amber Sabathia, Mike Rouse and his wife, Kristen, Aaron Fultz and his wife, Christy, Jason Michaels, Amy Hafner, Kim Byrd and Jennifer Shoppach also attended the press conference.

For more information on Until the Violence Stops: Northeast Ohio and the festival, visit www.utvsneo.org or call 330-929-3382.