EDITORIAL: Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and with that in mind, we thought it important to share some national, state and Pee Dee region statistics that we hope you will find most alarming:

On the national level:

_ One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.

An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year.

_ Almost one-third of female homicide victims that are reported in police records are killed by an intimate partner.

In South Carolina:

_ South Carolina now ranks seventh nationally for the number of women murdered by men, according to a Violence Policy Center report.

_ South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson identified domestic violence as the number one crime issue in the state. According to the State Attorney General’s web site, more than 36,000 victims report a domestic violence incident to law enforcement statewide.

In the Pee Dee region:

_ Domestic violence comprised 85 percent of the victim population served by the Pee Dee Coalition in 2010-11.

_ During the fiscal year of July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011, the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic Violence assisted 724 victims of domestic violence.

_ In the same fiscal year, the Pee Dee Coalition sheltered 123 residents providing a total of 3,593 nights of shelter.

We think it safe to say that domestic violence is a growing problem at every level. Here at home the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault is doing what it can to assist victims and bring attention to and help prevent cases of domestic violence.

A non-profit volunteer organization, the Pee Dee Coalition is dedicated to the reduction of rape, family violence, and child abuse and to the needs of its victims. The Coalition is one of 15 domestic violence programs and 16 rape crisis centers in South Carolina and is the only organization that addresses all three of the interpersonal violence issues identified above. The Pee Dee Coalition was organized in 1986 and has expanded into seven Pee Dee counties including Florence, Darlington, Marion, Chesterfield, Marlboro, Dillon, and Williamsburg. Satellite Centers are located in each of these counties where services are available 24 hours a day.

The coalition offers numerous programs. Among them are:

_ Alternatives to Violence is an offender intervention program for the reduction of relationship violence offering assessment, 26-week group sessions, criminal/legal coordination, case tracking, referrals, and community education/training. For more information, call (843) 673-2008.

_ Prevent Child Abuse Pee Dee provides a broad scope of services that target the prevention and reduction of child abuse through school and community based programs. For more information, call (843) 661-1831.

The Elizabeth Pettigrew Durant Children’s Center is a comprehensive program for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of child and adolescent physical and sexual abuse. For more information, call our Florence office at (843) 664-4357 or our Hartsville office at (843) 332-9299.

_ ROAR is a prevention education program for high school and college students that addresses interpersonal violence prevention, including date rape, dating violence, and stalking. For more information, call (843) 395-2748.

_ The Community Victim Assistance is a 24-hour crisis intervention which offers medical, legal, and criminal justice advocacy and accompaniment. For more information, call (843) 669-4694.

_ RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) is a program of realistic defense tactics for women. RAD teaches prevention, risk reduction, and avoidance, while progressing to the basics of self-defense. For more information, call (843) 395-2748.

_ The Emergency Safe Shelter consists of two anonymously located residential facilities which temporarily accommodate fifty women and their children. For more information, call (843) 669-4694.

The most effective way to eliminate domestic violence is for each of us to get involved and educate ourselves on the growing problem.

If you or someone you know  is a victim of domestic violence, please call the toll free Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-273-1820, or 1-843-669-4600.

A life may depend upon it.