domestic abuse...the silent threat that is all too real!

I have just published a book about domestic abuse. ("50 to Life," by Diane Ganzer Baum, available from amazon.com in both paperback as well as on Kindle.) This is a reaction based upon the news right here in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, in which seven women in the past eight months have been killed at the hands of someone they thought they could trust. The youngest was 17; another one was a gal who was pregnant...she and her unborn baby died.

I have asked myself what can I do to help with this cause...because unless all of us speak up and out about domestic violence, it will NOT go away! Look at what happens when many people get together to find a cure for cancer---it has a positive outlook! Contrary to belief, you must get involved if you hear, see or even suspect violence--another's life is depending on it. Taken from the www.domesticabuseproject.com website, here are some ideas to think about. How about if each one of us takes even just one item and performs it--just think, if even ONE life is saved, it is not a wasted effort!

 

I Can

Speak Out

• Speak out against violence in television and movies.
• Take a stand; don’t tolerate jokes about rape, race or violence.
• Attend rallies and protests against violence.
• Ask your legislators to increase funding for programs that offer services to victims of violence and/or violence prevention education.
• Make sure that local schools address violence as part of the curriculum.
• Call law enforcement when you see or hear that someone is being abused.
• Educate yourself about domestic violence and then educate your family and friends.
• Discuss violence with your children and make sure they know what signs to look for when choosing relationships and where to go for help if they are physically assaulted.
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Volunteer

• Contact DAP or your local Battered Women’s shelter and offer to volunteer.
• If you belong to a service organization or place of worship, encourage them to learn about and find ways to support your local program or DAP.
• Volunteer to arrange a speaker from DAP for any workplace or organization of which you are a member.
• Host a Party With Purpose.
• Be a Table Captain for DAP’s annual luncheon. (although this applies to the Minneapolis chapter of DAP, check with your local community's shelter for domestic abuse to see how you can help.)

Give Financial Support

• Donate money to DAP or your local domestic violence program so that they are able to continue their services.
• Call and ask DAP or your local domestic violence program for a list of needed donations.  Then organize a drive for those items: school supplies, baby supplies, etc.
• Introduce DAP or your local domestic abuse program to the head of your company and encourage your business to become a Corporate Partner.

Parents Can

• Be positive role models.
• Turn of television violence.
• Explain to their children the acceptable ways to deal with anger.
• Encourage their children’s teachers, coaches, and community leaders to promote nonviolent solutions to problems.
• Listen to children; encourage them to discuss their feelings, needs and wants.

Kids Can

• Treat each other with respect.
• Turn off violence TV programs.
• Deal with anger in a positive way.
• Get to know children of ethnic and cultural groups other than their own.

Teachers Can

• Develop curriculum for boys and men to help them understand their role in healthy relationships.
• Seek training to help recognize and assist abuse victims, including children who are witnesses to domestic abuse.
• Create an atmosphere for respectful discussion of harassment, abusive and violent behavior.

Business Leaders Can

• Audit the workplace to ensure that inappropriate attitudes about violence, abuse and degrading behavior are not tolerated.
• Offer training and counseling on issues of domestic violence, abuse and sexual harassment.
• Provide information on how and where to get help in times of stress, need or actual violence.
• Engage in Corporate Partnership as a business with DAP or a local domestic abuse program.  It sends a message to employees that you care about them.

Employees Can

• Refuse to participate in derogatory jokes or stories about women, rape or violence.
• Treat each other with respect in the workplace and tolerate differences among co-workers.
• Learn about different racial and ethnic cultures and customs.

Religious Leaders Can

• Speak out against domestic violence.
• Assist victims in their religious community who must escape from abusive or violent environments.
• Offer resources to religious community members who may be perpetrators or victims of domestic abuse to assist them in seeking help.
• Seek training to enable them to recognize and assist children in violent and abusive environments.

Civic Organizations Can

• Examine messages promoted within their organization regarding women, minorities, and children.  Are they positive?  Supportive?
• Encourage awareness of domestic abuse.
• Promote humane and just treatment for all community members.

Youth Organizations Can

• Begin discussions about family and personal relationships that focus on respect, understanding and positive behavior.
• Identify and confront potential aggressors about unacceptable behavior.
• Seek training for leaders so they can recognize and assist victims of harassment or abusive behavior.
• Initiate projects that reward positive behavior and seek to eliminate negative images of different groups in society.

Criminal Justice Workers Can

• Examine policies and practices regarding domestic abuse and sexual assault.
• Analyze actual and perceived consequences to the perpetrator of abusive and violent behavior.
• Study how the system treats victims of harassment, abuse, or violence.

Together....we can be the solution to the problem.