Where Can You Go For Help or to Raise Awareness?
- Project Unbreakable : Project unbreakable is an organization that increases awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence by art. The art is quotes from their attackers- and it is the survivor’s way of saying “You can’t beat me- I am not afraid of you anymore”. Submissions come in from around the world and are featured on their Twitter feed to raise awareness to these causes.
- The Red Flag Campaign : The Red Flag Campaign was created to raise awareness on college campuses about the “red flags” to look for when dating someone that may not be who they seem. These “red flags” warn of an abusive situation that either is or may be unfolding. Research they found discovered an alarming trend of 1 in 5 college students are in an abusive relationship. They give tips for a healthy relationship and what to look for within an unhealthy one.
- According to Goddard and Gillinder in their article Intimate Partner Violence and Child Abuse: A Child –Centered Perspective-There is a connection between domestic violence and sexual abuse of children in 40% of reported child sex abuse cases. In order to provide good intervention for children involved in domestic violence cases, it is important to understand how domestic violence affects them. Previous policies of “family preservation”, used to keep families together even if they are violent, have worked against the interests of children.
- According to Banney and Fitch in their article Intimate Partner Violence, “Understanding the Impact of Intimate Partner Violence: Helping Police Officers to Better Intervene”, is a peer training program where officers are trained and sent back to their departments to train others. The reasons for this are that the police are usually the first point of contact for domestic violence victims and offenders. The point of the training is to help the police make it clear to the victim and the offender that domestic violence is serious and also a crime. How police handle these domestic calls can help with preventing the escalation of violence so police response is very important. Comprehensive training for police is needed to help them understand the complex nature of domestic violence and officers must be able to respond to many cultural variables. Police officers also encounter children when responding to domestic violence calls and understanding how to handle the presence of children in these scenes is also needed. In current practice police officers act under mandatory arrest laws and are also mandated to report child abuse if it is a part of the domestic violence situation. Officers may have to deal with their own personal feelings and biases in these cases which can be more intense if children are involved. Additional training on understanding the impact of domestic violence on children, how to respond to children involved in such cases can help officers be more professional and effective at handling the cases and providing community support to the victims.
- The biggest thing you can do to help is provide a way to a safe haven. Please know there ARE Domestic Abuse Shelters in the area. If you suspect someone is being abused- take them there for help. These shelters provide counseling and aid to these women.
- Also know- most women that leave fear for their lives and the lives of their children. They often leave with nothing more than the clothes on their back to get away. These shelters accept donations of food, clothing, toys, and time from people. Please donate. More often than not these shelters are provided by a charity and without the help from the public, they may cease to exist.