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April 3, 2009

SHINING A LIGHT ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Fight is on against domestic abuse

By Lauren Ricks Staff Writer

April is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Child Abuse Awareness Month, and the week of April 26-May 2 is National Crime Victims Rights Week.

This is the first of five articles highlighting various types of violence.





Domestic violence is a puzzle that has yet to be solved.

Several agencies in Henderson County are still trying.

“I liken it to peeling the layers of an onion,” said Marlena Taylor, executive director of the Family Peace Project — a faith-based ministry to help victims of domestic violence. “No one has been able to determine a root cause.”

Taylor said an abuser typically wants to have power and control over their victims, typically using financial, emotional and physical abuse to gain control.

“These are a lot of common threads,” she said. “It is not just a black eye or a broken arm.”

Henderson County County Attorney Clint Davis, whose office handles protective orders and prosecutes misdemeanor assault cases, said a domestic violence call is dangerous for emergency response officials.

The County Attorney’s Office, he said, deals with an average of 20 to 30 assault cases per month and issues around three dozen protective orders in a year.

“That number is not completely representative of the protective orders needed,” he said. “The true impact may be immeasurable. Those types of cases can be the most dangerous for our officers.”

Malakoff Police Department Chief Bill Mitchell said at least 25 percent of the calls received are domestic in nature.

“We go into a situation not knowing what it is until we are in the middle of it,” he said.

Taylor said it is not the victim’s fault they are being abused.

“No one deserves to be battered, no child deserves to be abused and no animal deserves to be cruelly treated,” she said.

Henderson County Humane Society Director Norma Lambert said abusers typically begin hitting animals and eventually escalate to people.

“It is about having control over something that cannot or will not fight back,” she said.

Lambert said a neglected animal often indicates neglected children and violence in the home. She said an animal is neglected if it is tethered outside without access to protection from the elements and to food and water.

“Many times it starts out slowly,” Lambert said. “It’s a red flag. In the back of our minds we need to be aware that there is a connection.”

East Texas Crisis Center Outreach Coordinator Donna Johnson said the area is a draw for abusers.

“Henderson County is a rural area,” said Johnson, whose agency also serves victims in the county. “Abuse is prevalent in rural areas because abusers tend to isolate their victims.”

Davis said the ETCC pre-screens applicants for protective orders for his office, and Johnson says the crisis center has seen 310 new victims this year. She said it also has 256 existing clients.

“It takes an average of seven to eight times for a victim to leave,” Johnson said. “It’s a process and the process can take from one to two years.”

Johnson said abusers learn the behavior through the environment they grow up in.

“It is not uncommon to see a juvenile abuse family members,” Davis said. “It creates a vicious cycle.”

Johnson said the ETCC provides education in the schools and promotes public awareness.

“We see it in the schools. It starts at an early age with bullying and escalates,” she said. “We’ve come a long way but we have a long way to go.”

She said the cycle won’t be broken until the abuser is held responsible.

Johnson said ETCC provides counseling, financial assistance, legal advocacy, support groups, resources for legal representation for divorces and child custody.

“We can help them with community resources to help them move on,” she said.

Taylor said the Family Peace Project provides financial assistance, support services, shelter, transportation and legal assistance to help victims leave their abusers.

“We stand in the gap,” Taylor said. “We help families re-create themselves.”

She said in the first three months of 2008, the organization served 66 families. In the first three months of this year, FPP has served 91 families, according to Taylor.

“We are looking at a year like we have never had with fewer resources,” she said.

Unfortunately, many victims never report the crimes being committed against them. Taylor said the increase in clients is a result of FPP efforts to increase public awareness.

“They know there is a resource that can help them,” she said. “It’s always been with us. It is an under-reported crime.”

Taylor said fliers are posted in gas stations, churches and beauty parlors by the organization.

“We are in the trenches and we don’t have enough boots on the ground,” she said. “We always welcome volunteers. We have to roll up our sleeves and do something.”

Family Peace Project Client Services Director Marsha Allen contributed to this report.

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