October, 3, 1999
Editorial - The Idaho Statesman
Decades ago, domestic violence was considered to be almost a joking matter in society. The nation laughed at the antics of "The Honeymooners" character Ralph Cramden (played by Jackie Gleason) in the early days of television.
"To the moon, Alice! To the moon! Cramden would yell to his wife, Alice.
The program reflected the general attitude toward domestic violence in those days. There were no national coalitions to combat domestic violence and encourage women to report instances of violence, and there was no formal training provided to police officers to handle the problem.
Society has changed a lot since the days of "The Honeymooners," and to a large extent so have the attitudes toward domestic violence.
This month, a national coalition of five domestic violence organizations is sponsoring Domestic Violence Awareness Month to spotlight the issue.
Thanks in part to the coalition's efforts over the years, there is a greater awareness that domestic violence can rip apart a family as easily as alcohol or gambling addictions. There's better awareness that domestic violence contributes to juvenile delinquency and violent crime and that it places a strain on classrooms and the workplace.
With each Domestic Violence Awareness Month, there is an increased awareness that domestic violence, if it goes unchecked, can end in many deaths.
But even though awareness has increased, the problem has not gone away. Bev LaChance, director of the Women and Children's Alliance Crisis Center in Boise, said children who live in homes in which domestic violence occurs tend to carry on violent behavior as adults.
For some children, role models are not Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa, but the stars of professional wrestling - who send a message to youngsters that the way to handle adverse situations is through fisticuffs and body slams. We're living at a time when it's possible that someone like Jesse "The Body" Ventura, a former professional wrestler, can become governor of Minnesota.
"Violence is a learned behavior," LaChance said.
Domestic violence has an ugly presence in Idaho, as LaChance can attest. The alliance offers shelter, counseling and a variety of other programs to nearly 12,000 women and children who are victims of domestic violence.
Another prominent organization in the Treasure Valley is the Boise Rescue Mission, which plans to open the Citylight Home for Women and Children in January.
The Women and Children's Alliance is using this month to showcase its "Clothesline Project," a visual display that LaChance says documents instances of domestic violence in this area. T-shirts are designed and decorated to represent one woman's experience with domestic violence. The Clothesline Project will be displayed at various locations throughout the month.
For the coalition, Domestic Violence Awareness Month carries an even
greater signifigance this year. Funding authorization for the 1994 Violence Against Women Act runs out this year, and Congress is considering enactment of VAWA II, which would update and and keep alive important programs created under the act.
The act has been a big friend to battered spouses, creating new and tougher penalties and providing grants to help encourage states to address domestic violence.
The act has provided funding for battered women's shelters, training for police officers and prosecutors, and a National Domestic Violence Hotline.
The agenda for the second phase includes providing services for children who witness domestic violence and support long-term housing for battered women.
Funding for VAWA was important in 1994, and funding for proactive programs provided under the act is at least as important today and deserves supporting from Idaho's congressional delegation.
The national coalition deserves credit for bringing the issue of domestic violence to the forefront each year. Its efforts serve as a chilling reminder about the scope of the problem in America and how the issue touches almost all segments of society.
But focus on domestic violence should not be confined to one month out of the year.
Society cannot be completely healthy and children cannot completely be safe until these senseless acts of violence are ended.
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