Violence awareness important
Piece of Mind
D.R. Bartlette
Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: Opinion
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Besides shame and financial dependency, fear is the number one reason victims stay with their abusers.
My mother was a strong woman. She tried to leave her husband many times, even though she had three kids and no place to go. I have lost track of the number of times we would flee our home, taking only what we could throw into the car, to go live somewhere in hiding. Each time, my step-dad would find my mother and stalk her, then beat her so badly she would have to return for fear of her very life.
Statistics show this is also common: the pattern of violence usually escalates, and the worst cases usually happen, when a victim threatens to, or actually does, leave her abuser. In 2000, more than 1,000 women were killed by intimate partners, and a third of all the women murdered in this country are killed by their current or former intimate partners.
Luckily, my mother was finally able to leave her husband for good - but not without help. Without the battered women's shelter, now known as the Peace at Home Family Shelter, we would not have been able to escape. The shelter gave us not only a safe place to stay, but also an advocate that helped my mother use the legal system to protect herself by filing restraining orders, pressing criminal charges and finally obtaining a divorce. The Peace at Home Family Shelter also offers help with the logistics of living independently, such as housing, child care and employment.
Even President Bush, bless his heart, saw this issue was important - and politically safe - enough to embrace. In 2003, he increased the Justice Department's budget by $100 million for combating violence against women. Programs helping communities and victims were given $390 million a year. The next year, he directed $20 million to create family justice centers around the nation, so that victims could find all the resources in one place.
In 2005, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act, which set up grants, legal assistance, training and other law-enforcement tools to combat domestic violence.
On campus, the Pat Walker Health Center houses STAR Central: support, training, advocacy and resources on sexual assault and relationship violence. Its Web site is www.health.uark.edu/STARCentral.
It's been said before, but it bears repeating: domestic violence can happen to anyone. Education is just the first step. Tougher law enforcement, more shelters, advocacy and counseling, and a solid safety net for women who may have dependent children and no resources - these are the solutions we need to put a stop to domestic violence.
On a more personal note, if you witness domestic violence, the best thing to do is to call the police - don't get involved yourself. If you are the victim of abuse, call the police if you are in immediate danger or call the local Peace at Home Family Shelter at 442-9811 or 1-877-442-9811.
D.R. Bartlette is a staff writer for The Arkansas Traveler. Her column appears every other Wednesday.
My mother was a strong woman. She tried to leave her husband many times, even though she had three kids and no place to go. I have lost track of the number of times we would flee our home, taking only what we could throw into the car, to go live somewhere in hiding. Each time, my step-dad would find my mother and stalk her, then beat her so badly she would have to return for fear of her very life.
Statistics show this is also common: the pattern of violence usually escalates, and the worst cases usually happen, when a victim threatens to, or actually does, leave her abuser. In 2000, more than 1,000 women were killed by intimate partners, and a third of all the women murdered in this country are killed by their current or former intimate partners.
Luckily, my mother was finally able to leave her husband for good - but not without help. Without the battered women's shelter, now known as the Peace at Home Family Shelter, we would not have been able to escape. The shelter gave us not only a safe place to stay, but also an advocate that helped my mother use the legal system to protect herself by filing restraining orders, pressing criminal charges and finally obtaining a divorce. The Peace at Home Family Shelter also offers help with the logistics of living independently, such as housing, child care and employment.
Even President Bush, bless his heart, saw this issue was important - and politically safe - enough to embrace. In 2003, he increased the Justice Department's budget by $100 million for combating violence against women. Programs helping communities and victims were given $390 million a year. The next year, he directed $20 million to create family justice centers around the nation, so that victims could find all the resources in one place.
In 2005, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act, which set up grants, legal assistance, training and other law-enforcement tools to combat domestic violence.
On campus, the Pat Walker Health Center houses STAR Central: support, training, advocacy and resources on sexual assault and relationship violence. Its Web site is www.health.uark.edu/STARCentral.
It's been said before, but it bears repeating: domestic violence can happen to anyone. Education is just the first step. Tougher law enforcement, more shelters, advocacy and counseling, and a solid safety net for women who may have dependent children and no resources - these are the solutions we need to put a stop to domestic violence.
On a more personal note, if you witness domestic violence, the best thing to do is to call the police - don't get involved yourself. If you are the victim of abuse, call the police if you are in immediate danger or call the local Peace at Home Family Shelter at 442-9811 or 1-877-442-9811.
D.R. Bartlette is a staff writer for The Arkansas Traveler. Her column appears every other Wednesday.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Amy Wilcox
posted 10/15/07 @ 8:22 AM CST
Thank you for this article and good for you that you are thriving and speaking out about what happened in your family.
I wanted to share that November 17 is National Survivors of Suicide Day. (Continued…)
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