Web posted
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Encore program slated for Tuesday
By SYDNEY BLAND
Traveler Staff Writer
An encore performance of Letters from the Diary of Domestic Violence, a program which seeks to raise awareness of the reality of domestic abuse, will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, in the Brown Center on the campus of Cowley College.
The presentation focuses on twelve victims, portrayed by actors, of domestic violence. No admission will be charged.
According to Kanyon Gingher, organizer and author of the diary letters, the emotional theme of Letters is that abuse touches every color, every age, every religion and every community - even Ark City.
The 23 professional speakers and actors purposefully get more intense as the program progresses--much like domestic violence.
"The stories - or letters - get more and more emotional. Each one gets more serious much like real domestic situations, which can start out with a comment or two and escalate into a full blown incident with law enforcement involvement and major abuse," said Gingher.
According to the 2000 National Crime Victimization Survey, almost 700,000 incidents of violence between partners were documented in the U.S., and thousands more go unreported.
In the past quarter century, almost 57,000 Americans were murdered by a partner.
Children who witness domestic violence often grow up believing that physical cruelty in relationships is acceptable behavior, thus perpetuating the cycle of violence in society.
The format of Tuesday's program includes facts and information from law enforcement personnel, mental health advisors, attorneys, a chiropractor, an ER worker, a minister and an educator interspersed with actor renditions of domestic violence situations.
"In these stories are people we all know; the woman next door, the elderly man down the street and the child that plays with yours in the park," said Gingher. "The aim of the performances is to bring greater understanding to the question, What is domestic violence?, and who the victims really are."
Ginger will conclude the program with the A.W.A.R.E. challenge - Always Watchful - Always Responsive - Every Time.
For more information, call Safe Homes Inc. Executive Director Linda Watson at (620) 221-7079.
Domestic violence facts:
* Most domestic violence incidents occur between the hours of 11 p.m. and 4 a.m.
* Kansas Law enforcement officers average one arrest for a domestic violence incident every 45 minutes.
* Sixty per cent of all reported domestic violence incidents occur at home, behind closed doors.
* On average, a domestic violence incident occurs every 25 minutes in Kansas.
* A protective order from abuse, or P-F-A, is a legal document that can be obtained from the court without a lawyer and is free of charge.
* Domestic violence victims come in all shapes, sizes, professions, economic levels, races, genders and religions; on one is immune.
* Studies show that fewer than one in 20 domestic violence incidents are reported.
* Domestic violence incidents leave emotional scars that last a lifetime.
* 85 per cent of intimate partner violence victims are women.
* Nationwide there is an average of seven animal shelters to every domestic violence shelter.
* Domestic violence incidents are the number one cause of death for pregnant women.
* Saturday and Sunday are the two most likely days for a domestic violence incident to occur.
Anyone who is the victim of domestic violence is urged to immediately call the Safe Homes 24-hour crisis line (620) 221-HELP, (800) 794-7672 or (620) 221-7300, or the Arkansas City Police Dept. at (620) 441-4444.
For more information, check the Web site: www.kcsdv.org
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