October is nationally recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a month-long awareness campaign created to spread understanding for the challenges victims of domestic violence may face.
Richard Falzone, a psychiatrist, said domestic violence victims often develop learned helplessness.
“Learned helplessness is a behavior in which a person feels like he or she cannot escape a painful situation, and therefore (he or she) accepts the loss of control and gives up trying to change the circumstances,” Falzone said. “Victims also tend to find themselves making excuses for the abusers, so it is important for care providers to ask questions and draw the information out.”
Falzone also said pressing charges for domestic violence is up to the state. This process is designed to protect the victims and take the burden off their shoulders.
The idea for Domestic Violence Awareness Month stems from the “Day of Unity,” which began in October 1981. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence initially came up with the idea for just a day meant to mourn victims who have passed as a result of domestic violence, celebrate the lives of the survivors and connect people together to put an end to it. It went on to reach a national level, and six years after, October 1987, marked the first recognized Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
More than one in three women and more than one in four men in the United States have experienced abuse or violence from their partners, according to a report by the American Psychological Association titled “Intimate Partner Violence”. The report also said poor mental health among women who have experienced domestic violence is almost three times higher than women who have not.
An employee at the Family Safety Center of Memphis and Shelby County, an organization that offers services for domestic violence victims, said there are several reasons why a victim would not come forward about his or her situation.
“People who run from their abusers often do not have other places to stay because abusers help pay rent,” said the employee from the Family Safety Center, who asked not to be identified. “Another reason is because they might be without a form of transportation. The car might belong to the abuser, they might share a car or the abuser might keep access of the vehicle location. The organization will offer as much assistance with transportation and shelter as they can. However, they are a nonprofit and face financial limitations.”
The Family Safety Center of Memphis and Shelby County requires clients to fill out about 15 pages of paperwork when they initially seek help so the staff can learn more about clients and their circumstances. The paperwork then has to be processed and sent to the courts before an order of protection can be granted. Altogether, the process takes two to two and a half weeks.
The organization sees themselves as the “What’s next?” option for domestic violence victims. Victims will often call the police and find that the police do not have the ability to assist like a safety organization. On average, the organization works with about 20 clients every day. Clients of all demographics come into the facility, and some of their employees are bilingual.
The Exchange Club Family Center, an organization that provides counseling, education and advocacy services with the goal to improve safety in the Memphis area, will host the Over The Edge for a Kindred Community event in downtown Memphis on Oct. 14. They aim to raise a minimum of $1,000 for a participant to rappel more than 80 feet down the AutoZone Store Support Center. The registration fee is $150, and the money will go to the Exchange Club Family Center.
There will also be a screening of “A Better Man,” a documentary that tells the story of Attiya Khan and her ex-partner Steve and shows what can happen when individuals take responsibility for their abuse, at the University of Memphis in the University Center Bluff Room on Oct. 17 at 5 p.m.
