VeNews July 2005

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Faith Leaders Train in Domestic Violence Prevention

The statistics on domestic violence are relentlessly grim. Nearly a third of American women will report being the victim of domestic violence sometime during their lifetime. Children who witness domestic violence in their households are more likely to engage in it when they’re adults. And the financial cost of domestic violence can be as staggering as the emotional fallout: an estimated $10 billion a year in medical expenses alone.

Contrary to popular belief, substance abuse is not the primary cause of domestic violence.  The reality is that domestic violence is learned—through observation, in the family, community, school, peer group, and in the culture.

Given the indispensable role they play in people’s lives, faith-based organizations have a great responsibility to try and keep households at risk for violence peaceful and safe.

Although clerical professionals are often in the best position to spot domestic violence because of their close relationships with congregant families, they sometimes have difficulty appropriately responding due to their lack of information on the issue.

To help strengthen lines of communication between secular and faith-based organizations, the Community Healing Network and Vesper Society sponsored a four-hour interfaith workshop on domestic violence prevention on April 27th. Nearly 60 leaders from local faith and social service organizations attended the event at St. Rose Hospital in Hayward.

The training was presented by the Faith Leaders and Domestic Violence Project, California State University Channel Islands, with funding from the California Department of Health Services.

The goals of the workshop were to support the continuing efforts of faith communities to prevent domestic violence, particularly in conjunction with law enforcement and prevention advocate organizations.

The workshop included presentations by representatives of the Hayward Police Department, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, and the Shelter Against Violent Environments or SAFE (www.save-dv.org). The agenda covered the dynamics of domestic violence and how groups can collaborate in order to intervene and prevent violence.

Attendees concluded that communication with at-risk households needs to be improved regarding the services available in the community to prevent domestic violence. This is often a challenge due to the culture of secrecy and control that can permeate households suffering domestic violence.

Among the recommendations: identifying new ways for individual faith leaders to collaborate with community service organizations, and how congregations can better work with community services.

Throughout the workshop, participants asked questions and offered examples of what they and their congregations are doing to address this urgent issue.

For additional information about the Domestic Violence Training and Education Program, go to the California Department of Health Services’ website at http://www.dhs.ca.gov/epic/fdv/.

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Vesper Society, a private operating foundation, promotes social justice locally and globally by addressing critical social issues including the provision of health services for the underserved.