NORWICH – October is the 21st commemoration of National Domestic Violence Awareness month and area agencies are stepping up their efforts to bring attention to crimes that often go unreported.
According to Catholic Charities Rape Crisis Coordinator and Community Educator Beth Neuland, police responded to 3,600 domestic violence calls in the county last year.
“Only one in seven domestic violence crimes even get reported; that’s the national statistic,” she said.
Four million cases are reported annually nationwide, indicating the actual number of crimes taking place is closer to 28 million.
“It’s often a crime that unless people’s attentions are being drawn to it, then it’s forgotten. It’s grossly under represented in society,” said Catholic Charities Director Daniel Auwarter.
“Eliminating domestic violence requires collaborative prevention and response efforts from criminal justice professionals, victims’ service providers, prosecutors, health care providers, educators and elected officials,” said the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office.
Auwarter said another indication that these crimes are on the rise was an increased use of the agency’s Safe Dwelling Program. The program operates an apartment-styled facility at a confidential location in the county where victims of domestic crimes can live temporarily when they have nowhere else to go.
“It’s a group living arrangement with beds, and this year we had a 258 percent increase in the use of the safe dwelling,” he said.
Catholic Charities received two grants in 2008 and contributed an additional $30,000 to the program. Auwarter said that on a few occasions this year the group was forced to look for aid from other agencies because they were over capacity at the facility.
Sheriff Thomas J. Loughren said local victims should utilize the National Victim Notification Network called the VINE program that allows concerned citizens to track the custody of their offender. The Sheriff said the 24-hour service keeps track of convicted offender’s custody status and can tell a victim if a perpetrator is released from incarceration, transferred or escaped. The link to the network is www.vinelink.com and the toll free number is 1-888-VINE -4-NY.
“This access empowers domestic violence victims to gain a greater degree of control in their lives and to make informed decisions about their safety,” said Loughren.
Catholic Charities works with a number of local agencies to organize programs that help abused victims cope with their mental and physical injuries.
For the last five years, peer woman support groups have taken part in the national Clothesline Project, a project that encourages victims to express themselves by decorating a T-shirt. The shirts are then hung in public view as a testament to the ongoing problem of violence against women. The shirts will be displayed at the YMCA and Guernsey Memorial Library throughout the month.
Neuland said more than 40 women have participated in the Clothesline Project.
To contact the 24-hour local hotline for domestic violence, call 336-1101 or Catholic Charities at 334-3532. The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office can be reached at 334-2000. Emergency callers should dial 911.