[Vision2020] PR - Domestic Violence Awareness

[Stephanie Kalasz]

City of Moscow
Administration
206 E Third Street
Moscow, ID 83843
Contact: Gary J. Riedner, City Supervisor
p     |  208-883-7006
e     |   griedner at ci.moscow.id.us<mailto:griedner at ci.moscow.id.us>
w    |  www.ci.moscow.id.us<http://www.ci.moscow.id.us>

PRESS RELEASE
Title:  One is Too Many: Connect to End Domestic Violence

September 28, 2011 -This year alone, eighteen domestic violence related fatalities have taken place in Idaho; as compared to thirteen fatalities in 2010. Also in 2010, law enforcement agencies statewide responded to 6,177 incidents of intimate partner violence. The need to address the devastating effects of violence on families and communities has never been more urgent. One fatality, one incident, one child exposed to domestic violence is one too many.

Domestic violence shatters lives, destroys families, and devastates communities in our state. We must come together to prevent and respond to the needs of victims of domestic violence and to make sure that offenders are held accountable for the violence.  Consider:


  *   Domestic violence programs report higher demand for services that what is currently available. According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence 2010 Census Count, Idaho-based domestic violence programs reported a critical shortage of funds and staff to assist victims in need of services. In one 24-hour period, 517 victims of domestic violence and their children received life-saving services from local domestic violence program throughout the state.  Domestic violence victim advocates answered 152 emergency hotline calls.  Approximately 340 adults and children received non-residential assistance and services, including individual counseling, legal advocacy, and children's support groups.  At the same time, 67 requests for services went unmet, largely due to lack of funding. A request for assistance should never go unmet.

  *   Domestic violence results in negative health consequences. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 37% of all women in the United States who sought care in hospital emergency rooms for violence-related injuries were injured by a spouse or dating partner.

  *   Domestic violence harms our children and youth. In Idaho, approximately 16,000 children witness domestic violence each year. Exposure to domestic violence has can have long-term effects on children including delayed development, problems in school, and eventual involvement in other abusive relationships.

Domestic violence is a community problem that requires a community-wide solution. To end domestic violence, everyone - domestic violence programs, criminal justice systems, governmental and non-governmental agencies, health care systems, and educational systems, and friends, family, and neighbors - must take a stand to increase the safety of victims and hold offenders accountable for their actions.

During October, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we take time to remember those victims whose lives have been tragically taken, encourage and support survivors who have escaped abuse, and address the importance and value of community connectedness to prevent and respond to domestic violence. This October, and throughout the year, let's connect with one another to end domestic violence. It's our responsibility to not look away from violence. We must acknowledge it and demand accountability.

The City of Moscow Police Department and Alternatives To Violence Of The Palouse along with the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence, pledge to engage systems and individual allies to build a violence-free society. One more incident, one more fatality, one more child exposed to domestic violence is one too many. We ask our community to join in the movement to end domestic violence.
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Story Contact: Chief David Duke
Phone: 208-883-7059
Email: dduke at ci.moscow.id.us<mailto:dduke at ci.moscow.id.us>


The City of Moscow delivers quality municipal services while ensuring responsible use of resources. We anticipate and meet the needs of our diverse population in order to build public trust and enhance a sense of community.


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