About 10 days ago there was a domestic violence murder/suicide in Temple (Michelle and Thomas Masse). Let me just clarify that I call it domestic violence because it was an act of violence between intimate partners in their home.
I worked in the domestic violence field for over 20 years, and was familiar with the aftermath of these tragedies. These murders are, unfortunately, an opportunity to raise awareness of the epidemic of domestic violence in this country. Yet I have heard no public outcry, nor seen any candlelight vigils or other events working towards ending or at least intervening in these avoidable crimes. What we know from the Minnesota and Quincy models of domestic violence intervention is that if you raise awareness, educate both children and the public, implement accountability, and provide supports, the number of domestic violence crimes in the area decreases, including the incidents (or prevalence, as is the case in New England) of domestic violence murders.
If we stay silent, nothing changes. If people don’t understand the problem, it will never be addressed. I’m wondering where the leaders are, and how we as a community can stand together to end violence in the home if we are not made aware of the nature of these devastating crimes.
Ann Marie Simone, M.Ed. BCC
Farmington
You have made the first step Ann. Next you could setup a candlelight vigil. You could call Sen. Saviello and Black. You could even contact the superintendents office and try to get time at the schools to teach the children about domestic violence. After 20 years working in this field you seem like the likely candidate to do such a thing not just writing a letter to the editor. Domestic violence has no place in society and we won’t be able to stop it until our kids learn. I know many people who have told me they won’t have kids just because of the way they had been raised. It is sad really because they know the difference and are just afraid to break the chain.
My question is….How can we stop something if we don’t even know it is happening? Raising awareness is a great idea, and I know growing up we learned about this in school. Preventing it from happening is a bit more difficult, only because we learn about the problem after it is too late!!
Thank you for you letter Ann Marie . Totally right on.
Thank you for your letter Ann Marie.
Preventing 100% of anything is not really possible, I do believe that having awareness of DV helps those who become aware be part of the solution and kept from being part of the problem.
Domestic violence is a “we” problem. Neighbors know about it, relatives know, fellow employees know, employers know, teachers know, pastors know…it’s not a well-kept secret in most cases.
Why do “we” think it’s none of “our” business?
“If we stay silent, nothing changes.”