Violence occurs everywhere, in good neighborhoods and bad ones, at the market down the street, the mall across town, at home, or within an intimate relationship.
The Women's Studies Program and Student Activities Council observe Domestic Violence Awareness Week this week as a part of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Events include last night's viewing of the film "Enough," a survivor's forum tomorrow and the Cell Phone Project, where people can donate cell phones to domestic violence shelters by dropping them off at room 425 of the University Center.
Julie Satchfield-Ulander, a graduate student in the women's studies master's program at The University of Memphis, is using this time to bring awareness to a problem that exists on the campus.
"(We) wanted to get involved with this week because men and women on campus suffer or could suffer from an abusive relationship while in college," she said. "We want to give these students, faculty and employees a voice and (let them) know that the Women's Studies Department cares deeply about their situation."
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Crime Statistics Unit reported that in 2004 there were 95 reported cases of assault and 3 reported cases of rape at The U of M. Campus Police Services were unable to confirm this report at press time.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, "battering is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person with whom an intimate relationship is or has been shared through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence."
Battering not only results in physical injury but also leads to psychological, social and health problems in victims such as depression, promiscuity and drug abuse.
Domestic violence, or intimate partner violence, accounted for 20 percent of nonfatal violence against women and 3 percent against men in 2001, according to a National Center for Injury Prevention and Control report. Between 1976 and 2002, 11 percent of homicide victims were killed by an intimate partner.
Domestic violence affects the economy as well. The Workplace Violence Institute reports that domestic violence costs employers about $35 billion annually, stemming from lost productivity of victims attacked and harassed at work. According to the Tennessee Economic Council on Women, Blue Cross Blue Shield reports nearly $33 million of annual spending on domestic violence healthcare costs. The state spends more than $49 million each year processing domestic violence court cases, and its Department of Children Services spends between $5,000 and $44,000 per month on each child that is a victim of domestic violence.
"[It is] an issue that affects a lot of people," said Joseph Weekly, chair of the Student Activities Council's Ideas and Issues. "I believe bringing attention to the issue of domestic violence can help prevent it."
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Signs of an abusive person:
̢ۢ monitors what you are doing all the time
̢ۢ criticizes you for little things
̢ۢ constantly accuses you of being unfaithful
̢ۢ prevents you from seeing family or friends or going out
̢ۢ gets angry when drinking or using drugs
̢ۢ controls your spending
̢ۢ humiliates you in front of others
̢ۢ threatens to hurt or does hurt you or uses a weapon against you
̢ۢ forces you to have sex against your will
̢ۢ blames you for the abuse
Source: National Domestic Violence Hotline
If you or someone you know is involved with someone who fits this description, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233).
