We are fortunate to live in a community that is serious about ending domestic violence.
In recognition of National Domestic Violence Awareness month, it would be worthwhile to bring attention to what our community is doing to curb statistics that, nationally, are on the rise.
To highlight a few:
• We have a team of law enforcement officers who have a zero-tolerance policy on domestic violence. In the police and sheriff’s departments, identifying and prosecuting domestic violence remains a top priority. So far in 2009, both departments combined have filed nearly 180 reports on domestic violence. Those numbers are up from years past, but that’s a good thing because that’s evidence that the officers are better prepared and equipped to identify domestic violence in our community.
• We have an area nonprofit agency that is more committed than ever to serving victims of domestic violence. In 2008, SOS served 1,015 domestic violence victims, 223 sexual assault victims, 76 stalking victims and 112 children in abusive situations. But what’s more, SOS is investing more of its resources to prevention and education in the community, through school presentations, speaker series and training seminars. On Wednesday, SOS is sponsoring the Seventh Annual Domestic Violence Summit at the Flint Hills Technical College to address the crime of stalking, behaviors associated with it, its prevalence and lethality.
• We have a school board that could see the value in investing in a school-wide respect-based curriculum. For the first time, this year the Second Step curriculum will be shared with students in the Emporia school district, teaching them how to foster healthy relationships with peers. From simple lessons on sharing to lessons on bullying and healthy dating relationships, the Second Step curriculum focuses exclusively on the prevention of domestic violence through education at the school-age level.
• Through the collaborative work of a multi-disciplinary team, Lyon County was the first county in the state to adopt the Intimate Partner Domestic Violence Primary Prevention Plan last December. The plan, which is supported by the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, includes community actions aimed at increasing awareness and education in the community, support for the victims of violence and enforcement of laws against domestic violence. Putting aside individual jurisdictions, this team is committed to working together to end domestic violence in Lyon County.
It’s good to know we live in a town that is leading the way in domestic abuse awareness, education and prevention and putting forth so many of its resources toward the effort. And these initiatives listed here are just a few. There are even more individuals and agencies committed to making the Emporia area a safe place for men, women and children to live.
Domestic violence is not likely to be completely eradicated from our community anytime soon, but it certainly won’t be because we aren’t doing everything we can to make that happen.
Let’s keep up the good work.
Ashley Knecht Walker
Editor
To find out more about domestic violence and the ten things you can do to prevent it where you live, work or play, go to helpchangekansas.com
Comments
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Posted by d23_66801 (anonymous) on October 8, 2009 at 5:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ok i'm all against this, but please be awre that there are ones that are faulsly accused because the mother or mother in law has interviened be aware and yes erradicate domestic violence!
Posted by create (anonymous) on October 9, 2009 at 6:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
SOS is an excellent agency that has helped many. Remember SOS when making charitable contributions.
The earlier in childhood that kids learn not to hit each other, the better. Parents are often remiss when it comes to training kids about hitting. "Hit him back," is not the answer yet it happens all the time among little kids.
Posted by emporiaman (anonymous) on October 9, 2009 at 8:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If they dont hit back they will be bullied. A parent should teach there kids to fight back and not be bullies.
Posted by create (anonymous) on October 9, 2009 at 9:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Somewhere, there is an inbetween, emporiaman. But hitting is not the answer. How can you teach controlling a bully by bullying back.
How soon before they grow up and hit their wives and kids?
Posted by biscuitboy (anonymous) on October 9, 2009 at 9:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
A guy I used to know and hang around with....a person I actually liked......floored me one day as surely as if he had blindsided me with his fist.
He was chastising his grandson for hitting his mother...my friends daughter. He told the child..."You don't hit your mommy...only daddy's hit mommies.
I never looked at my friend the same way again......and a few years later that particular mommy was beaten to death by her boyfriend.
Support SOS!
Posted by HenryVIII (anonymous) on October 9, 2009 at 9:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
create,
Suppose you are on a plane and a terrorist gets up and starts slashing people with a box knife... If I tackle him and beat him within an inch of his life, am I "bullying back"?
Suppose a bunch of Nazis show up in town and they want to put us all in concentration camps... Should we just go along with it or stand up to them? I guess we shouldn’t “bully the bullies”, right?
emporiaman is right; you have to stand up to bullies and sometimes force is the only thing that'll do the trick. It's not bullying if it is in self defense. The key is teaching your child to not instigate violence, but allow them to defend themselves. It’s not ok to start a fight, but you have the right to finish it.
'enry
Posted by seriouslyfolks (anonymous) on October 9, 2009 at 10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
'enry.
Good point.
Posted by biscuitboy (anonymous) on October 9, 2009 at 10:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sometimes violence is the only recourse we are allowed...there is no escaping that reality. But a 250 pound man beating the crap out of his 140 pound wife is certainly not his only recourse. Neither is the sixth grade bully terrorizing the fourth grade student. But when we glorify violence as the only workable solution it is what we get.
Posted by koro (anonymous) on October 13, 2009 at 10:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I like that..."it's not OK to start a fight, but it's OK to finish
it." Wish more people had that way of thinking. There are only so many instances that a child can "run and tell a teacher". What is the teacher supposed to do? Tell the bully that it's not appropriate behavior? The bully already knows that. Schools can place students in ISS or suspend them, but that's about all. Big whoop...
Posted by create (anonymous) on October 13, 2009 at 11:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
No need for extremes, Henry VIII. Geez, I'm not stupid!
Of course in those situations you have to take the bully by the horns. But in daily situations in the household, it ain't okay to hit. Daddies don't hit Mommies. Or vice versa. Too many kids learn it when they see it. Hitting is a learned behavior.
SOS is about domestic violence not tackling people with box cutters on planes. Get real!
Support SOS.
Posted by neighbor (anonymous) on October 13, 2009 at 11:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
When Kansas enacted the Domestic Violence law that requires an arrest to be made when probable cause exists that a crime has been committed, without requiring a complaint being signed by one of the involved parties, we took a large step forward to slowing the frequency of repeat offenders and calls to the same address for the LEO's. It also balanced out the arrest numbers between the different genders in DV incidents. Before this law, the overwhelming majority of arrests were made on male participants. Since this law was enacted, it more accurantly reflects that domestic violence involves two parties, a victim and an aggressor which could be of either gender. From my past experience as an LEO, in the majority of my DV calls, both parties were involved or were equally responsible for aggression or assaults.
Posted by create (anonymous) on October 13, 2009 at 12:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Like I said, "Daddies don't hit Mommies. Or vice versa." All too often, females are just as responsible as stats now support.
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