Chief’s Column: Help end domestic violence

Domestic violence is a national problem that knows no boundaries. Domestic violence can happen to anyone in any community regardless of age, economic status, race, religion, nationality or educational background. It is reported that one in every four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. Females who are 20-24 years of age are at the greatest risk of nonfatal intimate partner violence. It should also be note that most cases of domestic violence are never reported to the police.

To make everyone aware of this national problem, October has been designated as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Grafton Police Department would once again like to do its part in helping to end domestic violence by offering the following information provided by the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and the National Domestic Violence Awareness Project.

Nine Ways Any ADULT Can Make Ending Domestic Violence His or Her Business

1. Cultivate a respectful attitude toward women in your family and at your workplace. Avoid behaviors that demean or control women.

2. When you are angry with your partner or children, respond without hurting or humiliating them. Model a non-violent, respectful response to resolving conflicts in your family. Call a domestic violence or child abuse prevention program for their help if you continue to hurt members of your family.

3. If you have a friend or co-worker who is afraid of her partner or who is being hurt, offer her your support and refer to the 24-hour, toll-free, National Domestic violence Hotline number at 1-800-799- SAFE (7233).

4. Learn about domestic violence services in your area. Contact SafeLink, the Massachusetts Statewide Toll-Free Domestic Violence Hotline, at 1-877-785-2020 to find out more.

5. Call the police if you see or hear violence in progress.

6. Talk to your friends and neighbors when they belittle women, make a joke about violence, or ignore a battered woman.

7. Develop a women’s safety campaign in your workplace, neighborhood, school or house of worship. Build a consensus among your colleagues and neighbors that abusive behavior and language is unacceptable.

8. Bring together your local domestic violence program staff, parents, teachers, students, and school administrators to start a discussion about developing a school-based curriculum on dating and family violence.

9. EXAMINE YOUR OWN LIFE for violence and oppressive behaviors. If you think you may be a victim of domestic violence, please call for help.

Anyone with questions for the Chief’s Column may submit them by mail to the Grafton Police Department, 28 Providence Road, Grafton, MA 01519. You may also email your questions or comments to chief@graftonpolice.com. Please include an appropriate subject line, as I do not open suspicious email for obvious reasons.

Normand A. Crepeau, Jr. – Chief of Police