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Candlelight Vigil brings to light
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| Well attended: Residents turned out last week to commemorate and to spread domestic violence awareness. The candlelight vigil took place at City Hall and was held in coordination with Domestic Violence Awareness Month. (Thelma Grimes/photo.) |
reality that is domestic violence
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
Domestic violence destroys families every year.
On the steps of the Benson Visitor's Center Wednesday, members of the Cochise County Victim Witness Protection Program brought the harsh reality of this problem to light as they read the names of everyone who has died since last October in Arizona as a result of domestic violence. Many of the 30 in attendance were brought to tears.
The deaths weren't just women abused by a boyfriend or husband. The ages differed from a three-week old baby, to a 60-year-old woman.
A baby in Tucson died of blunt force trauma after being beaten by the child's mother's boyfriend. A father and husband is shot and killed by his stepson, a sister shot and killed by her brother and a boy is beaten to death by his brother.
The list went on and on with the causes of death ranging from shooting and stabbing to beating and strangulation.
Many of those attending the candlelight vigil in honor of domestic violence awareness month said the fight against domestic violence has come a long way, but there is still a lot of work to be done, and the statistics are disheartening.
An estimated 4.5 million physical assaults are committed against U.S. women by an intimate partner every year. In Arizona, the Domestic Violence Council said every five minutes, a law enforcement officer responds to a domestic violence call. Every 39 minutes, one or more children witness a domestic violence incident.
"Domestic violence isn't just broken bones, black eyes or bruises," said Sue Dupee, of the victim witness program. "It can be a whole lot of things. Threatening, intimidating, emotional abuse and isolation are just a few. It's never about love. It's about possession. It's about control."
Dupee said the abuse is starting at younger ages. Statistics show that 20 percent of teenage girls between ninth and 12th grades have fallen victim to physical, sexual or emotional abuse at the hands of a boyfriend.
"In every facet of our society, in every neighborhood, the threat is there," Dupee said. "We have to be careful of domestic violence. We have to be willing to report it."
Also attending the 45-minute ceremony were several law enforcement officials who have seen first-hand the effects of domestic violence.
Benson Justice of the Peace Joe Knoblock said he is proud that Cochise County has become a leader in domestic violence awareness. Taking the issue directly inside the courtroom, the judge said those found guilty of domestic violence have to attend 16 counseling sessions, and if they don't fulfill the requirement, it is mandatory jail time.
Lt. Mark Genz of the Cochise County Sheriff's Department told a story about an actual case. The Benson lieutenant said he was talking to an emergency medical technician (EMT) who told him about a domestic violence case that happened 15 years ago, but still affects her to this day.
Genz said one morning police were called to a home where a man had beaten his wife to the point where she was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Her head wound required 37 stitches.
It wasn't the injury that affected her so much as a child's response to what had happened. Sitting at the breakfast table calmly eating, the five-year-old asked the EMT if she was there to see her. The question and the calmness told the EMT that the morning's events were nothing out of the ordinary for that family.
Genz said the fight against domestic violence is improving in Cochise County. With more than 900 cases in 2005, Genz said that number dropped to just over 600 in 2007, and so far this year there are about 510.
However, Genz said the holidays are coming, and there is a lot of stress nationwide over the state of the economy and money problems inside the home.
Benson Police Chief Glenn Nichols said he has been in law enforcement for more than 25 years and times have changed. Now, police officers are better trained to handle a domestic violence call, and more and more volunteer agencies are stepping up to help law enforcement deal with the problem.
The candlelight vigil was the first in Benson, something Nichols called a great success he hoped would continue annually.
There is help available for victims of domestic violence. If you are a victim, or you know someone who needs help, the Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence can be reached at (602) 279-2900.
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
Domestic violence destroys families every year.
On the steps of the Benson Visitor's Center Wednesday, members of the Cochise County Victim Witness Protection Program brought the harsh reality of this problem to light as they read the names of everyone who has died since last October in Arizona as a result of domestic violence. Many of the 30 in attendance were brought to tears.
The deaths weren't just women abused by a boyfriend or husband. The ages differed from a three-week old baby, to a 60-year-old woman.
A baby in Tucson died of blunt force trauma after being beaten by the child's mother's boyfriend. A father and husband is shot and killed by his stepson, a sister shot and killed by her brother and a boy is beaten to death by his brother.
The list went on and on with the causes of death ranging from shooting and stabbing to beating and strangulation.
Many of those attending the candlelight vigil in honor of domestic violence awareness month said the fight against domestic violence has come a long way, but there is still a lot of work to be done, and the statistics are disheartening.
An estimated 4.5 million physical assaults are committed against U.S. women by an intimate partner every year. In Arizona, the Domestic Violence Council said every five minutes, a law enforcement officer responds to a domestic violence call. Every 39 minutes, one or more children witness a domestic violence incident.
"Domestic violence isn't just broken bones, black eyes or bruises," said Sue Dupee, of the victim witness program. "It can be a whole lot of things. Threatening, intimidating, emotional abuse and isolation are just a few. It's never about love. It's about possession. It's about control."
Dupee said the abuse is starting at younger ages. Statistics show that 20 percent of teenage girls between ninth and 12th grades have fallen victim to physical, sexual or emotional abuse at the hands of a boyfriend.
"In every facet of our society, in every neighborhood, the threat is there," Dupee said. "We have to be careful of domestic violence. We have to be willing to report it."
Also attending the 45-minute ceremony were several law enforcement officials who have seen first-hand the effects of domestic violence.
Benson Justice of the Peace Joe Knoblock said he is proud that Cochise County has become a leader in domestic violence awareness. Taking the issue directly inside the courtroom, the judge said those found guilty of domestic violence have to attend 16 counseling sessions, and if they don't fulfill the requirement, it is mandatory jail time.
Lt. Mark Genz of the Cochise County Sheriff's Department told a story about an actual case. The Benson lieutenant said he was talking to an emergency medical technician (EMT) who told him about a domestic violence case that happened 15 years ago, but still affects her to this day.
Genz said one morning police were called to a home where a man had beaten his wife to the point where she was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Her head wound required 37 stitches.
It wasn't the injury that affected her so much as a child's response to what had happened. Sitting at the breakfast table calmly eating, the five-year-old asked the EMT if she was there to see her. The question and the calmness told the EMT that the morning's events were nothing out of the ordinary for that family.
Genz said the fight against domestic violence is improving in Cochise County. With more than 900 cases in 2005, Genz said that number dropped to just over 600 in 2007, and so far this year there are about 510.
However, Genz said the holidays are coming, and there is a lot of stress nationwide over the state of the economy and money problems inside the home.
Benson Police Chief Glenn Nichols said he has been in law enforcement for more than 25 years and times have changed. Now, police officers are better trained to handle a domestic violence call, and more and more volunteer agencies are stepping up to help law enforcement deal with the problem.
The candlelight vigil was the first in Benson, something Nichols called a great success he hoped would continue annually.
There is help available for victims of domestic violence. If you are a victim, or you know someone who needs help, the Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence can be reached at (602) 279-2900.
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