By Vania Castillo/reporter
Domestic violence is a growing issue in our society especially among young people, SE students learned last week.
During the annual health fair on SE Campus Oct. 31, Safe Haven of Tarrant County sponsored a seminar Alternatives to Stop Domestic Violence in Tarrant County.
Benji Douglas from SafeHaven joined a panel of Bobbie Edmonds, a local lawyer; Nikki Rosenboom, a counselor at the police department, and Joyce Fisher, a SE Campus counselor.
Douglas introduced the topic of domestic violence.
“ Domestic violence does not only mean physical abuse, it can be also emotional or sexual,” he said. “Sexual abuse is illegal in Texas, even in a marriage.”
Many people get into relationships that from the beginning are abusive, but they ignore it, Douglas said.
As the time passes, the tension builds and someone becomes angry and explodes.
Then forgiveness comes into play.
Many victims go through this and keep forgiving their partner. The cycle keeps getting faster and faster, and soon it happens on a daily basis, Douglas said.
Learning how to stop domestic violence was the main goal of the seminar. Fisher said students should talk to a counselor at school if they needed any help to deal with domestic violence.
“ The first step is to talk to us, and we will guide you,” she said.
Many victims feel trapped and unable to get out of an abusive relationship, Rosenboom said.
“ Sometimes they don’t have enough resources to get out of the situation,” she said.
Rosenboom deals with domestic violence victims at the Arlington Police Department.
The panel concurred statistics mostly claim women as the victims. One-third of women will suffer from domestic violence in their life. Women between the ages of 16 to 24 are most likely to experience some form of violence by their intimate partner. Men, children and elder people can also be victims. Men are less likely to ask for help when they are in an abusive relationship because of their pride and social embarrassment.
Rosenboom said about 150 cases of domestic violence are reported daily in Arlington. However, only one-third of the victims admit to being abused or show signs of abuse, and they are the ones who get help.
As a lawyer, Edmonds is involved in giving legal help and advice to violence victims.
“ Child custody is a big concern when domestic violence occurs in a family,” she said.
Children should not have to experience violence in their homes, Edmonds said. Children learn that violence is the answer to anger, and it becomes acceptable behavior.
Edmonds said about 24 percent of domestic violence involves a child as an offender. Children can legally be punished for domestic violence as young as 10 in the state of Texas.
“ Usually, children who show violence will get counseling unless the offense is major,” she said.
Most importantly, Edmonds said, students should consider that “domestic violence can interfere with academic achievements, and it breaks down self esteem and confidence.”
Safe Haven of Tarrant County opens its resources to those seeking help. For more information, log on to www.knowtheredflags.com or visit a counselor on any of the TCC campuses.
