Concerns about domestic violence should become everyone’s business
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MAITRI
Dec 4, 2010, 10:05:08 PM12/4/10
to Maitri
No one should have to live with violence and fear. If you or someone
you know is being abused, help is available.
Please contact : Winnie Singh @ 09810132908 or email:
winnie...@gmail.com
Concerns about domestic violence should become everyone’s business
By: Natalie McCart, Fort Leonard Wood Victim Advocate Coordinator
Victim Advocate Coordinator Natalie McCart
PULASKI COUNTY, Mo. (Oct. 25, 2010) — Domestic violence is a problem
in every city, county, state, and military installation in this
country. Spousal and intimate partner abuse is considered the single
worst cause of injury to women in the United States.
According to Department of Justice statistics, every 15 seconds in the
United States a husband, ex-husband, or intimate partner batters a
woman, resulting in over four million incidents of domestic violence
being reported each year against women alone. In addition to these
staggering numbers, the National Family Violence Survey funded by the
National Institute of Mental Health also found that nearly two million
men were assaulted by a wife or girlfriend annually. Once a secret
kept among families, domestic violence is now recognized as a serious
crime that cuts across all racial, economic, social, and age barriers.
National best-selling author Gavin De Becker puts things into
perspective by stating: “While we are quick to judge the human rights
record of every other country on earth, it is we civilized Americans
who kill women and children with the most alarming frequency. In (sad)
fact, if a full jumbo jet crashed into a mountain killing everyone on
board, and if that happened every month, month in and month out, the
number of people killed still wouldn’t equal the number of women
murdered by their husbands and boyfriends each year.”
To bring it closer to home, anyone reading this article probably knows
someone who has been or is being abused. It may be a neighbor, sister,
brother, friend, co-worker, the checkout person at your grocery store,
or a fellow church patron.
All domestic incidents in the community should be taken seriously.
Keep in mind that some batterers go from a slap or shove to murder and
there is no way to predict which ones will do this. It is also
important to understand that well-intentioned interveners may
unintentionally give dangerous advice. Those attempting to assist a
victim should avoid saying things like, “Why don’t you just leave?”
“Why do you put up with it?” or “I would have been gone the first time
someone hit me.” These statements all imply that the victim is to
blame instead of focusing on holding the batterer accountable. This in
turn could result in a victim staying or going back to an abusive
situation.
Here are six things that you can say to a victim that will offer
encouragement in a non-judgemental way:
“I’m afraid for your safety.”
“I’m afraid for the safety of your children.”
“It will only get worse.”
“Here are some resources that can help you.” (A list of actual
resources is at the end of this article.)
“You don’t deserve to be abused.”
“How can I help you?”
Always acknowledge to a victim that it took a lot of courage to come
forward.
Stopping the vicious cycle of domestic violence requires not only the
resolve and courage of survivors but also the support and courage of
the community as a whole. The first step in ending this serious
phenomenon is public awareness. October was Domestic Violence
Awareness Month. Let’s keep in mind the famous quote from James Allen
“Humanity cannot forget its dreamers; it cannot let their ideals fade
and die; it knows them as the realities which it shall one day see and
know.”
Remember, domestic violence is everyone’s business!
No one should have to live with violence and fear. If you or someone
you know is being abused, help is available. Here are some community
resources:
Genesis: A Place of New Beginnings: (573) 774-2628
Army Community Service, Victim Advocate Program for Military
Community: (573) 596-0212
Fort Leonard Wood Family Violence Response Line: (573) 596-0446
Missouri State Child Abuse Hotline: (800) 392-3738
National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-SAFE
http://www.pulaskicountydaily.com/news.php?viewStory=2268
you know is being abused, help is available.
Please contact : Winnie Singh @ 09810132908 or email:
winnie...@gmail.com
Concerns about domestic violence should become everyone’s business
By: Natalie McCart, Fort Leonard Wood Victim Advocate Coordinator
Victim Advocate Coordinator Natalie McCart
PULASKI COUNTY, Mo. (Oct. 25, 2010) — Domestic violence is a problem
in every city, county, state, and military installation in this
country. Spousal and intimate partner abuse is considered the single
worst cause of injury to women in the United States.
According to Department of Justice statistics, every 15 seconds in the
United States a husband, ex-husband, or intimate partner batters a
woman, resulting in over four million incidents of domestic violence
being reported each year against women alone. In addition to these
staggering numbers, the National Family Violence Survey funded by the
National Institute of Mental Health also found that nearly two million
men were assaulted by a wife or girlfriend annually. Once a secret
kept among families, domestic violence is now recognized as a serious
crime that cuts across all racial, economic, social, and age barriers.
National best-selling author Gavin De Becker puts things into
perspective by stating: “While we are quick to judge the human rights
record of every other country on earth, it is we civilized Americans
who kill women and children with the most alarming frequency. In (sad)
fact, if a full jumbo jet crashed into a mountain killing everyone on
board, and if that happened every month, month in and month out, the
number of people killed still wouldn’t equal the number of women
murdered by their husbands and boyfriends each year.”
To bring it closer to home, anyone reading this article probably knows
someone who has been or is being abused. It may be a neighbor, sister,
brother, friend, co-worker, the checkout person at your grocery store,
or a fellow church patron.
All domestic incidents in the community should be taken seriously.
Keep in mind that some batterers go from a slap or shove to murder and
there is no way to predict which ones will do this. It is also
important to understand that well-intentioned interveners may
unintentionally give dangerous advice. Those attempting to assist a
victim should avoid saying things like, “Why don’t you just leave?”
“Why do you put up with it?” or “I would have been gone the first time
someone hit me.” These statements all imply that the victim is to
blame instead of focusing on holding the batterer accountable. This in
turn could result in a victim staying or going back to an abusive
situation.
Here are six things that you can say to a victim that will offer
encouragement in a non-judgemental way:
“I’m afraid for your safety.”
“I’m afraid for the safety of your children.”
“It will only get worse.”
“Here are some resources that can help you.” (A list of actual
resources is at the end of this article.)
“You don’t deserve to be abused.”
“How can I help you?”
Always acknowledge to a victim that it took a lot of courage to come
forward.
Stopping the vicious cycle of domestic violence requires not only the
resolve and courage of survivors but also the support and courage of
the community as a whole. The first step in ending this serious
phenomenon is public awareness. October was Domestic Violence
Awareness Month. Let’s keep in mind the famous quote from James Allen
“Humanity cannot forget its dreamers; it cannot let their ideals fade
and die; it knows them as the realities which it shall one day see and
know.”
Remember, domestic violence is everyone’s business!
No one should have to live with violence and fear. If you or someone
you know is being abused, help is available. Here are some community
resources:
Genesis: A Place of New Beginnings: (573) 774-2628
Army Community Service, Victim Advocate Program for Military
Community: (573) 596-0212
Fort Leonard Wood Family Violence Response Line: (573) 596-0446
Missouri State Child Abuse Hotline: (800) 392-3738
National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-SAFE
http://www.pulaskicountydaily.com/news.php?viewStory=2268
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