FORT GORDON, Ga. (Oct. 17, 2014) - It's an epidemic affecting every community, and it's shaping the lives of numerous children for the worse. The signs are visibly damaging, yet those in its path often stand by and do nothing in response.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Fort Gordon's Family Advocacy Program is encouraging the community to be cognizant of it year-round in an effort to end the violence.
In recognition of domestic violence, Fort Gordon held its Domestic Violence Awareness Month Command Program Oct. 7 in Alexander Hall. The following day, a professional workshop was held at the Gordon Conference and Catering Center.
The command program opened with a candle lighting ceremony honoring the lives of domestic violence homicide victims and survivors. Emphasizing domestic violence can affect any rank, gender, or race, service members from each branch of service read true-life accounts of domestic violence victims, identified only by age. Following each reading, the service member lit a candle to illuminate awareness.
Beverly Engel, keynote speaker for the program, tackled several issues related to domestic violence. Engel, an internationally recognized psychotherapist and acclaimed advocate for victims of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, grabbed the audience's attention with startling statistics.
In a survey conducted annually by the United States Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics, 748,000 "intimate partner violence" incidents occurred in 2013 with about 360,000 classified as serious violence. Broken down, that is roughly 1,000 case of domestic violence in the U.S. daily. By comparison, there were more than 1.7 million incidents in 1994. Engel said the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 was instrumental in the drop of cases over the last two decades.
"The law toughened penalties for offenders, expanded training for law enforcement, and improved services for women," Engel said.
Despite a nearly 60 percent decrease over the years, progress has been an uphill battle. While law enforcement officials have changed their way of handling cases by taking them more seriously and making more arrests, the public has a long way to go. There is a stigma associated with both victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse.
"The public has actually lagged behind in terms of our negative attitude toward domestic violence," Engel said.
Recent scandals in the National Football League have put domestic violence in the spotlight, opening communication -- an important first step toward change.
"People who normally wouldn't talk about domestic violence are now talking about it, which is a great opportunity for all of us to do more about removing the stigma of domestic violence," Engel said.
Shame is at the core of every form of abuse, Engel said, and the only way to address that shame is to start talking about it. Victims hide abuse because they're ashamed of it, and perpetrators don't reach out for help because they also feel shame. It's a complex feeling that pours into every aspect of abuse and is what drives the cycle of abuse, forming the behavior of both victims and perpetrators.
"Those caught up in the cycle are almost always trying to rid themselves of shame," Engel said.
Children who witness domestic violence are victims themselves and often go on to mimic the abuse, making it difficult to break the cycle.
Although there is no cure for domestic violence, there are things the public can do to help end and prevent it.
"By being more compassionate, we can make it easier for (victims) to reach out for help," Engel said. "If we stop judging them for being abused, they'll have an easier time telling us about it."
She also urged the public to report suspected abuse and to "stop turning a blind eye." Get children the help they need, and they will be less likely to become abusers.
During the workshop, Engel interacted with dozens of professionals from Fort Gordon and surrounding communities in an effort to bring awareness to domestic violence. Veeola Peters, FAP victim advocate coordinator, said Engel gave attendees tools to use in an effort to help stop domestic violence.
"In actuality, we really don't know what causes domestic abuse," Peters said. "But if we have a variety of things to look at, then hopefully we can narrow it down so that each client gets the best care, and we can address the true issue at the source of it."
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