October 31, 2006

Marshall Democrat-News: Story: Domestic Violence: The hidden story/Domestic shelter is 'guiding light' out of abusive relationships

I missed the first two parts of this three part article but this third part brings up a point that has been discussed on many levels. Teaching people how to break the cycle of abuse. It also discusses abuse prevention in the terms of dealing with the abuser to try to prevent abuse. A good overall read!

Marshall Democrat-News: Story: Domestic Violence: The hidden story/Domestic shelter is 'guiding light' out of abusive relationships

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October 29, 2006

New DV Act in India

The women of India have long awaited a day when they would be able to acuse men in thier country of mistreating and abusing them. Their day has finally came. Last week the Domestic Violence Act of 2005 was finally a law! One complaint and arrest has been made so far. This new act covers almost all thier women, which is a start in the right direction for them. It protects not only wives and live in counterparts but also the sisters, mothers, mother-in-laws and female children, against any abuse or threat of abuse. The penalty is RS 20,000 (which is approx. $444.40) fine and maybe prison time after a trial. Hey, this may not be the BEST plan I've heard but this IS a breath of fresh air for these women! If you'd like to read some about it yourself there are some articles below....

'Domestic Violence Act to have deterrent effect'Hindu - Chennai,India Shillong, Oct 27. (PTI): As the Domestic Violence Act comes into effect from on Thursday, Meghalaya's State Women Commission (MSWC) Chairperson Biloris Lyndem ...Domestic violence Act comes into force Times of India - India LUCKNOW: The Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act 2005, came virtually into force in the state on Thursday. The Act ...
AIDWA hails Domestic Violence ActHindu - Chennai,India NEW DELHI: T he All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) has welcomed the Domestic Violence Act that took effect from Thursday, saying the Act, for the ...
Domestic Violence Act in place but no mechanism: NGOs Expressindia.com - New Delhi,India New Delhi, October 26: The Domestic Violence Act comes into effect from today but NGOs in the city say "mechanisms to provide proper protection to women ...
Domestic Violence Act 2005 becomes operational in state Navhind Times - Panjim,India Panaji, Oct 26: The Domestic Violence Act 2005 primarily meant to provide protection to the wife or female live-in partner comes in effect from today in the ...
The ramifications of the Domestic Violence Act, 2005Zee News - Noida,India Domestic violence or more simply violence at home is an invasion on one's right to live safely. It infringes on ones basic right ...
Man arrested under Domestic Violence ActHindu - Chennai,India 28 (PTI): In perhaps the first case booked under the provisions of the new Domestic Violence Act 2005 in the country, Tamil Nadu police today arrested a man at ...
Domestic violence : Govt employee bookedTimes of India - India ... employee of the public sector Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board has become the first person to be arrested under the recently introduced Domestic Violence Act ...

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October 9, 2006

I had to put in interity this next article, and it should be read by any that are in the DV Feild. She speaks truth! Thank You Deana Mueller for helping us Break the Silence!

Domestic violence affects the whole family
By: Deanna Mueller
10/04/2006
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month and as such, is a good time to look at what domestic violence is, how it impacts our community and what is being done to stop it.
Domestic Violence, loosely defined, is violence in the home. It is an attempt to gain or maintain control over another person through the use of violent and coercive behaviors.

It affects as many as 1 in 3 women at some point in their life. Children living in homes where violence is displayed are seriously impacted, even if they are not being physically abused. Nearly 100 percent of abusers experienced some form of family violence as children, and many victims also report having been abused as a child.

As director of Polk County House of Hope, an emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Bolivar, I see first-hand what domestic violence does to a family. Many people associate domestic violence and abuse with a physical act committed against a woman, by a man, involving a black eye or a broken bone, but the emotional, financial and social consequences that come as a result of abuse have far-reaching effects on families and communities.

First, the emotional consequences many victims experience range from post-traumatic stress disorder to difficulty developing healthy relationships and trusting people. The financial aspects of abuse can be devastating. The medical, legal and housing costs can go into the thousands of dollars and cause victims to choose between legal representation or a house payment. There are resources available to help victims with legal and medical costs, but those resources are difficult to find and usually not enough to cover all of the expenses.

The social consequences are difficult to measure. Probably the most accurate way to summarize the social consequences of abuse is to say that (as I've already mentioned) nearly 100 percent of abusers report having experienced or witnessed abuse while growing up. This means that the little ones growing up in homes where violence is occurring, their chances of becoming abusers or victims when they are adults increases significantly.

So what is being done to address this problem? It takes cooperation and assistance on all levels to prevent and deter something as big as domestic violence. And many area agencies are working together to do just that. Agencies such as the health department, area schools, Citizens Memorial Hospital, local law enforcement agencies, OACAC and many more provide services that help victims become survivors, through case management, housing resources and referrals, counseling, job skills training and more.

The House of Hope was the result of several caring and dedicated individuals and area agencies coming together to address and solve this problem. Since the shelter opened its doors in 2003, about 100 area women and children have received emergency shelter and ongoing support services. The shelter operates at full capacity almost 100 percent of the time and, unfortunately, turns away an average of five women and seven children per month. Women and children who are turned away are given the option of placement and transportation to another area shelter.

If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Domestic Violence hotline at (800) 799-7233 (SAFE) or the House of Hope at 298-3439. All calls are confidential, and phones are answered 24 hours per day, seven days per week. To find out how you can get involved with the shelter, call 399-6744.

Deana Mueller is director of Polk County House of Hope and an intern with the Bolivar Herald-Free Press.
CHANGING TIMES AT DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
Extra funds set to fortify child welfare
Unprecedented budget increase lifts hopes at DSS
Posted on Tue, Oct. 03, 2006
"After years of budget cuts and low national rankings, the S.C. Department of Social Services is poised to receive its largest one-year budget increase in the agency's history, a move that officials say will fuel a turnaround for the department charged with ensuring the safety of the state's most vulnerable residents - its children."

This follows the coat tail of the mistake that cost a family to loose their children, then regain them after a judge ruled that their children should never have been taken to begin with. Children that saw what a Pscyh ward looks like first hand, and the horrors of our system. Children that will be forever changed from this experience. The reason? Too much of a case load...........

"A $14.3 million increase in the agency's budget for the 2006-07 fiscal year will add 350 new permanent child welfare workers, restore the foster care board rate, provide matching funds for some group homes and emergency shelters, and partially fund a projected adoptions subsidy deficit, DSS officials said."

Isn't this what the standards required to begin with? Why was this money not delivered before this year?

"If all goes well, South Carolina will become one of a few - or maybe the only - states in the nation with the average of 12 cases per foster care worker recommended by the Child Welfare League of America. Some workers have as many as three times that number today."

This is a sad fact that we must all worry about. Most states have workers with 48 cases per foster care worker. How do we expect those workers to not make mistakes? How do we expect our children to be safe? YET, it continues, and our children pay the price...........
Guest Columnist: Domestic violence thrives on silence
That's why it's important to break the silence
Oct. 03,2006
I could truly touch on many topics that Ms. Wilk touches on in this article, she hits the nail on the head with the words; "When you break the silence, you break the cycle." This month, DV Awareness Month, this is what we must begin, and continue it all year long.

"Nationally, domestic violence, it is estimated, touches someone's life every seven seconds." States Ms. Wilk. "I believe if we could peek into homes, we would find it even more prevalent than that."

She is so right about this! How many suffer in silence? How many are too afraid to call 911 in an emergency? How many times have we found out after a tragic death that the Victim had been abused for years? Too often this happens, and the silence is what keeps DV alive and strong.
Silence is evil's closest ally. --Gary Amirault
This October, let's bring the Silence closer to the end.
St. Mary's Sheriff Receives Multiple Grants
Posted on October 02, 2006

This grant may actually help out St. Mary's County in Maryland if it is actually implemented!

"$20,000 goes to improving the effectiveness of the Sex Offender Registry Unit by increasing the number of follow-up verifications of registry information, called Project "Verify"." This will help make sure that the Sex Offenders are where they state they are, and followed closer so that less Sex Offenders can slip through the cracks.

"$14,340 to continue Project "SAVE" (Sheriff's Anti-Violence Enforcement Unit) the Domestic Violence Unit which is designed to coordinate the law enforcement response to victims." This will give the Director of the unit more time to actually assist DV Victims!

"$15,000 in additional monies for Project "SAVE" the Victims to enhance existing service efforts and meet the District and Circuit Court's guidelines for efficiency and promptness in serving the ex-partes and protective orders." This is greatly needed! So often victims attempt to get protective orders, and they take longer then needed to obtain. This grant money will enable the unit to also get a deputy in position to help decrease the time it takes to put in the information of the PO into the database and getting it to the assailant/suspect.

The other dispersement of this grant shows that finally a step has been made in the right direction. Only time will tell just how affective this grant will become.
School absences lead agency to remove daughters for weeks

This news story truly disturbs me. Worse, Myrtle Beach is about 2 hours from me, and I know that this area that I live in is just about as hard hit, and without enough help.
In this news story, it mentions that the father was an abuser for at least the last 10 years, and was mandated to get parenting and anger management help, same with the mother. I don't believe that anger management helps much, and that those with anger issues only come home even more mad then when they went in. Who wouldn't after being put down and pushed for an hour by someone that just doesn't seem to care??? What help was there for the Victim in this case???? What counseling was given to her or her daughters? NONE. That's only one problem that this story presents.
No help, a daughter with many health issues, absenses at school, and instead of getting the help that family desperately needed, the children were put into a Psychiatric Hospital because they were diagnosed with PTSD. Of course they had PTSD with what they had been through!!! The daughter thinking that she was the reason for deaths, the beatings she saw her father give her mother, the family was in shambles! Yet, the system didn't help those problems, but created more.
While in the Psychiatric Hospital, the children saw even greater atrosities. Children trying to commit suicide, children acting out against the adults there, and them being punished for not being able to deal with it all.
Why is the system failing our families? Why is the system that was set to protect and support our families failing? One reason is a heavy case load and not enough workers. The other is because the system is not set up with enough support services to provide for the needs of an ever failing society.
Read below, and you make your decision...........