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My Turn Column

October 26, 2004

Domestic Violence is Everyone's Business

Since October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, I would like to share some disturbing facts:

• Domestic violence is the number one violent crime in Arizona
• Since the beginning of this year, 72 people have died because of domestic violence
• Many more have life threatening injuries and deep emotional scars
• As I review case histories of individuals who have lost their lives to domestic violence in 2004, victims represent all ages, walks of life and of the state – DV is truly an equal opportunity victimizer
• 60 percent of DV incidents are witnessed by children who are often seriously traumatized by the event or events

The statistics about domestic violence are frightening:

• Every 36 minutes, a police officer responds to a domestic violence incident where a child is present
• Every 30 minutes an Arizona family is turned away from a shelter due to lack of space
• Every 12 minutes a domestic violence victim calls the Arizona Department of Economic Security to request emergency shelter, information or referral

An impressive array of community groups such as the Men’s Antiviolence Network (MAN) have greatly increased our awareness of domestic violence and our ability to prevent future incidents. In April, I visited the Mesa Center Against Family Violence, and was impressed by the great work done by police officers, prosecutors, and social service agencies as they help domestic violence victims.

We have definitely increased support for victims in the last 10 years, but there is much remaining to do.

Acts of domestic and sexual violence are multiphasic in cause, rarely occur in isolation and must have a multidisciplinary community response. In Arizona, we have some effective tools in our communities. There are 14 centers similar to Mesa’s advocacy center throughout Arizona that provide a coordinated response to a domestic violence case. They serve as a central facility for local police who investigate domestic violence crimes, the attorneys who prosecute the cases and social service agencies that help victims find needed services. I believe these advocacy centers are working so well they should be available to victims in every community in our state

A new effort to address domestic violence is the “CUT IT OUT” Program which I am working to bring to Arizona. CUT IT OUT is a nationally recognized program that builds awareness about domestic violence through hair salons. Started in 2002, the CUT IT OUT program began in Alabama where Salon professionals were trained to look for signs of domestic violence and safely provide information to victims that helped them escape the cycle of abuse. Today, it is operated nationally by the Salons Against Domestic Abuse Fund, a partnership of Clairol Professional, the National Cosmetology Association, and Southern Living At Home magazine. Since the program expanded nationwide in July 2003, more than 1,000 cosmetologists have attended training sessions in 11 states.

There are many other ways to combat domestic violence. For example, I am also working with legislative leaders to implement an Address Confidentiality Program in Arizona. This program would ensure that alleged perpetrators could not use the state’s public records to locate victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Similar programs have been implemented in 16 other states with impressive results.

Domestic Violence Awareness month is an important time to reflect on and highlight the seriousness of the DV problem. This is not a family issue or a women’s issue – it is a community issue, and everyone’s business. We must address this issue together. Working together, it is my hope that next October far fewer lives will have been lost or blighted by domestic violence.