Police in Northern Virginia are reporting a spike in the number of victims of domestic violence, a report from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services found.
The study shows that the number of reported domestic violence victims in Alexandria doubled from 321 to 665 and in Fairfax City from 47 to 113, or 150 percent, in the five years from 2006 to 2010.
Sgt. Joe Johnson, a spokesman for the Fairfax City Police Department, said the increase could reflect a growing sense of trust between residents and officers.
Read more.
Greyhound News (Loyola University—Maryland)
Would you say something if you saw a red flag? You’d be surprised how many people wouldn’t. Dating violence occurs in all shapes, sizes and forms, and can span across physical, emotional, verbal and controlling ranges. Yet, so many people have a hard time accepting their situation or even identifying their problem. Upwards of 45 percent of college women experience violence and dating abuse. What’s equally as bad is that nearly 60 percent of college students say they don’t know how to help someone who is a victim of dating abuse. College campuses are breeding grounds for these unhealthy relationships. That’s where The Red Flag Campaign comes in.
Read more.
HBCUDigest.com
The U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence against Women has awarded Virginia State University a three year, $298,437 grant to fund programs designed to reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campus. VSU is one of only 22 projects selected for funding in FY 2012.
This award provides resources to develop and strengthen effective responses to violence against women. The funds will be used to implement comprehensive efforts to enhance victim services along with prevention and education programs, and develop and strengthen security and investigation strategies to prevent, prosecute and respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking crimes.
Read more.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- Dressed in purple or their Navy Working Uniform, nearly 150 active duty, Department of Defense civilians and family members took a stand against domestic violence during a photo opportunity at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana flightline Oct. 12.
Volunteers formed a human ribbon in front of an F/A-18 Super Hornet to show their support of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
"It's the first time we tried something of this size, this complicated. It's awesome. It's making a statement against domestic violence. It's making a statement for awareness," said NAS Oceana Commanding Officer (CO) Capt. Bob Geis, who along with Capt. Kit Chope, executive officer (XO), were among the volunteers.
Read more.
Herndon— As she prepared to go to sleep in the front seat of her pickup truck, Jewell Mikula thought about what had led her here, to a night sleeping in her car on a cold October evening.
"I thought to myself, what if I were a victim of domestic violence, and I had escaped with my two children? If I had pulled into this parking lot with no one to turn to, and how I would find a way to feed them, to get them to school, to keep them safe?” she said. “At that moment, it was true reality to me.”
Read more.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It’s also the time when universities across the country launch the Red Flag Campaign, a public-awareness initiative that spotlights dating violence on college campuses.
The campaign, launched in 2006 by the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, educates the college population on signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships.
UNCC joined the program last year.
Read more.
Volunteers at Samaritan House, the largest domestic violence shelter in the state, respond to more than 8,000 crisis calls each year.
While they advocate for a very serious issue, several hundred domestic violence survivors, activists and supporters will come together at the Oceanfront for a fun event this Sunday - the Samaritan House's ninth annual De-Feet Domestic Violence 5K Walk/Run.
The event will feature live entertainment by Tiki Bar Band, face painting, and a one-mile Fun Run for children, but still carries a heavy message; this year's theme of the 5K Walk/Run is "Every journey begins with a step."
Read more.
WASHINGTON – The Defense Department and each of the services are drawing attention to the plight of domestic violence because of people like Amanda Tenorio, a victim advocate for Army Community Services at Joint Base Henderson Hall, Va., and a domestic violence survivor.
Tenorio was a 28-year-old divorced mother of two when she started dating a man who quickly turned violent with her. In their year-and-a-half relationship, she said, she sustained regular beatings that caused 35 broken bones in her face, a broken hip, ankles and ribs, dislocated knees and brain injuries that put her into a coma.
Tenorio and other domestic violence survivors are speaking out at installations as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a national designation in October to bring violence among couples out of the shadows of their homes and into the help of military family advocacy programs.
Read more.
Lynchburg, VA - Central Virginia's YWCA kicked off their "Week Without Violence" program Monday with guest speaker Judge Cary Payne of Lynchburg.
He spoke about accountability when it comes to domestic abuse and holding the community, law enforcement, victims and abusers accountable.
Payne said last year alone, there were 2,900 misdemeanor cases of domestic abuse in the state.
"We need to train our community not to put their head in the sand if they know about it and to hold abusers accountable. Law enforcement needs to make sure they do everything they can to investigate these types of offenses," said Payne.
Get more information on all the events this week on the YWCA of Central Virginia Facebook page.
Read more.
Like many of the women who joined her at Elmwood Park in downtown Roanoke on Friday, Debra Williamson's life took an unexpected turn because of domestic violence.
On May 7, authorities in Roanoke charged her boyfriend, Roland Wendel Booher Jr., 32, with malicious wounding. Since then, she's been coping with court dates and reliving an experience she said wants to leave behind.
"It's been horrible," Williamson said, holding her fluffy cat, Sam, with a leash around his neck. "My life has just been upside down."
Williamson stood with nearly 200 others in the Family Violence Coordinating Council's fifth annual downtown walk to raise awareness of domestic violence. Many of them were linked by shared experience.
Read more.
