October is Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month

  • Published
  • By Capt. Lisa M. Hoyt
  • Family Advocacy Program
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass/ --  Abuse can take many forms, and is often perpetrated by a member of the victim's household. While it is not a pleasant topic to consider, domestic violence is a reality for too many individuals. 

October is Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, which the Family Advocacy Program hopes will draw attention to the fact that every day men, women and children are affected by domestic violence, and to signs of trouble. Recognizing the signs of domestic violence is key for prevention. 

Domestic violence is most often defined as any abusive situation between a couple or a person and their spouse or children. Types of abuse range from verbal and emotional to physical and sexual abuse. DV affects individuals of all ages, socio-economic levels, cultures, genders, races, sexual orientations and education levels. In most cases, DV in any form is considered a crime and the Air Force maintains zero tolerance for it.

DV often begins subtly with verbal and emotional attacks. A person might berate, degrade and humiliate the victim. Other forms of emotional abuse include the following: controlling with whom the victim socializes; limiting where the victim goes and when; withholding finances; restricting access to or use of military services (including, but not limited to, taking away a dependent's ID); threatening harm to things that the victim cares about, such as children, self, other people, pets and property; and trying to make the victim think that he or she is crazy.

When most people think about domestic violence victims, they picture a female. However, while the vast majority of victims are women, men can also be victims of domestic violence. Obvious examples of DV are physical in nature, such as hitting, pushing, shoving, slapping, hair-pulling, scratching, restraining, biting, kicking, hitting with fist or any object, burning, applying force to the throat, cutting off air supply and using a weapon.

In some instances, DV escalates and becomes sexually abusive. Use of physical force or an emotionally aggressive act to coerce the spouse to engage in a sexual activity against his or her will, whether or not the act is completed is also considered a form of DV. A victim is not able to consent to a sex act if he or she is intoxicated, under the influence of medication, asleep or mentally incapable. Unwanted touching, kissing, groping and fondling are also considered DV, according to the 2004 U.S. Air Force Family Advocacy Program Standards.

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence offers alarming DV statistics:

· One in every four women will experience DV in her lifetime.
· Almost one-third of female homicide victims that are reported in police records are killed by an intimate partner.
· In 70 to 80 percent of intimate partner homicides, regardless of which partner was killed, the woman had been physically abused.
· An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year.
· Most cases of DV are never reported to the police.

DV can affect all members of the family. The Family Advocacy Program encourages all individuals who are in relationships affected by DV to seek help. Individuals can contact the 66th Security Forces Squadron or local police or reach out to friends, family and those in their chain of command to assist in finding a safe place and getting medical and psychological aid. Victims of DV can also obtain an Order of Protection. 

Help is also available from the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline number is (800) 799-SAFE and assistance is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. 

Those concerned about how a current relationship impacts their children can benefit from Family Advocacy Strength Training services, preventive counseling offered to active-duty families and married couples. Anger management classes are also available. 

All military members and Defense Department employees are mandated to report suspicions of child and spouse maltreatment to the Family Advocacy Program. 

For more information on the services available from the Family Advocacy Program, call (781) 377-4617 or visit building 1217 for additional materials and resources.