On Monday, November 8th, a speaker and employee from Safe Homes in Newburgh, came to talk to my Adolescent Psychology class about domestic violence. The speaker was a young woman at twenty-four years of age, and gave her first name only, and at the end said we could reach at her at the 800 number given on the pamphlet handed out. She was very open and you could tell she knew what she was talking about; asking interesting questions and relating to us on an age-appropriate level. One particular question that was asked was "What do you think the typical abuser looks like?" and she asked us to describe "him" in a few words or less. I watched as all of us sat there thinking through what we thought the ideal abuser looked like. One student raised his hand and said "controlling." But we all soon realized that she was trying to teach us that there is no "typical abuser," it can be anyone; male, female, black, white, and of any profession. The speaker went through all the different kinds of barriers that can come into play in a domestic violence situation; such as financial, emotional, and religious issues. She also made it a point to discuss how children can alter the abused person's opinion on leaving, which I never really thought about in it's entirety. Most young children don't get the fact that Daddy hurts Mommy, they see their parents' marriage or relationship as happy because that's what they've been raised to believe. The discussion opened up my eyes to domestic violence. The speaker also offered a volunteer program that is opening up in January 2011 in which they will have a 24-hour training process in those who want to participate in the hotline they offer; letting us know that it will not only help those in need but will look awesome on a resume.
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By: Katie McCollum
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