President Donald Trump has officially proclaimed October 2020 as National Domestic Violence Awareness month.
“There is no room for violence of any kind in our country. This month, we recognize that the victims and survivors of the unspeakable ordeal of domestic violence deserve our compassion, respect and support,” Trump wrote in his proclamation. “Let us marshal every tool at our disposal to continue the national, sustained and coordinated campaign to end domestic violence forever.”
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, domestic violence is defined as “the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. It includes physical violence, sexual violence, threats and emotional abuse. The frequency and severity of domestic violence can vary dramatically.”
Research compiled by the NCADV shows that 33.6% of women and 41.2% of men in West Virginia have experienced intimate partner physical violence, sexual violence and stalking . One-third of all homicides in West Virginia are related to domestic violence, and two-thirds of all women murdered are killed by a family or household-member. Calls are placed to W.Va. domestic violence hotlines on the average of once every nine minutes.
The Family Refuge Center in Lewisburg is a community-based domestic violence project that serves southeast West Virginia. They are committed to ending physical, sexual and emotional abuse in families. They encourage and promote healthy family-life based on mutual respect and support for all family members. One of the primary tools the center utilizes is the ‘Power and Control Wheel,’ a diagram that depicts the methods which an abusive partner will use to inflict harm and abuse upon their victim. The ‘Wheel’ consists of eight sections: using coercion and threats, using intimidation, using emotional abuse, using isolation, minimizing or denying and blaming, using children, using male privilege and using economic abuse.
This is a tool that Emily Yates, a Domestic Violence Advocate at the Family Refuge Center feels very strongly about.
“I really like the wheel because it provides guidance, and helps people to realize that they are in a domestic violence situation,” Yates said.
The Family Refuge Center offers many services to those experiencing any form of domestic violence. The services they provide include elder abuse advocacy, prevention education, therapy and victim advocacy. They can also provide a safe space for monitored visitation and exchanges, Yates stated.
The Family Refuge Center also operates the Anne Blair House Emergency Shelter. This is a 15-bed facility that offers emergency shelter to survivors of domestic and sexual violence at no cost. The goal of the Anne Blair House Emergency Shelter is “to allow clients a safe place to heal while empowering them for a life after they leave the shelter.”
The Family Refuge Center is located at 540 N. Jefferson St. in Lewisburg. They can be reached at (304)645-6334. They are available by phone 24-hours a day.
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