TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – October 1st marks the start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and local organizations are starting to gear up for a potential surge in calls.
So far this year in Vigo County, the Sheriff’s Office said it had 531 domestic violence-related calls. That is up slightly from last year, which was 522 calls in the same time frame.
Emily Murray, Executive Director of Council On Domestic Abuse, or CODA, said the fluctuation in calls throughout the year is a trend they are used to seeing.
“Around April, May, we were getting around 40 hotline calls a month, and then as we got into the warmer months we’re getting into the 60s and 70s in our hotline calls for the month,” Murray said.
Murray said it will start to slow back down again in the fall, but she anticipates they will see an increase in calls around the winter months when people start to spend more time together for the holidays, and factors like alcohol could be involved.
“We want people out there that are still suffering to know that there is hope,” Murray said.
Dr. Hailee Lauritzen, an Assistant Professor at Indiana State University, said it seems like there has been an increased interest in the last few years of people wanting to go into a social work-related field or a job that may encounter domestic-violence situations.
She said the faculty works to make sure students are prepared for anything that may come their way.
“Social workers in all communities need to be aware of what to look for and signs and risks and then what to do and how do we handle that situation? Because intimate partner violence is one of those scenarios where you could potentially pose more risk as interjecting yourself as a good bystander,” Dr. Lauritzen said.
She said they use simulation as a part of the curriculum to give students a “real-world” type of practice, before entering these situations.
“We have scenarios that we include, intimate partner violence is one of our common scenarios and working with a survivor of domestic violence and how they navigate those conversations, those difficult conversations,” Dr. Lauritzen said.
She added that as we head into Domestic Violence Awareness Month, it is important to remember that the responsibility to help or stop the situation does not fall on just one person.
“It really does take a community of people being aware of how to handle these situations and when given the opportunity to do something, knowing what to do and how to help is really important,” Dr. Lauritzen said.
CODA will have its annual candlelight vigil on October 3rd to honor and remember those who have lost their lives to domestic violence. It starts at 6 p.m. and will be located at Fairbanks Park.
If you or anyone you know is in a domestic violence situation, you can contact CODA’s 24-hour crisis line at 1-800-566-CODA.
