It’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Georgia Northwestern helped give it a voice last Wednesday. A specialist in the field spoke to several dozen GNTC students, faculty and staff on the Walker County Campus in Rock Spring.
"In the last 12 months alone, nearly eight million days of work were lost due to a dangerous and deadly outbreak close to the home. That’s the equivalent of 32,000 full-time jobs. This is just one of many statistics that makes Domestic Violence Awareness a priority. Each October, this home-grown system of abuse is put front and center in the U.S.," officials said.
Here in Northwest Georgia, The Family Crisis Center of LaFayette provides men, women and children with services to protect themselves and their loved ones when they face a domestic violence situation. “So many don’t even know they are in an abusive relationship,” said Family Crisis Center representative Becky Daniel.
Researchers of domestic violence will tell you that the tell-tale signs are there. “Victims may believe they can handle it, though. Often, they feel that others just misunderstand the situation and that they are the only ones who can handle it and be able to help the other person,” added Ms. Daniel. “What often happens, though, is that a person will isolate their partner from their friends and their family. Then, when you decide it’s time to do something, you may do nothing because you aren’t sure what you are able to do.”
Officials said four in five cases of domestic violence are against women. In half of the homes in which spousal abuse has taken place, children are also victims of abuse. “For those who aren’t sure they should report abuse, often the factor that helps them make a decision to seek help is that the victim has children living in the same home,” said Ms. Daniel.
Each year, the Family Crisis Center fields more than 2,000 calls on its 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week hotline. The center helps victims do everything from file restraining orders to housing, clothing and feeding those now without a home due to domestic violence. To learn more about domestic violence or speak with the Family Crisis Center, call the center at 706-375-7630 or toll-free at 800-334-2836.