A report released last year by the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence found a 181% increase in domestic violence fatalities from 2020 to 2021 in the Hoosier State.
According to a 2022 report published by The Lancet, the World Health Organization found that over one in four women experience domestic violence in their lifetimes.
16 News Now spoke with local victim advocates and court administrators about how survivors of domestic abuse can get the help they need.
“Domestic violence does not discriminate; it could be happening to someone you know at this time,” says Tiffany Gilliam, Domestic Violence Advocate in Lethality Prevention for the YWCA North Central Indiana. “It doesn’t care about race, socio-economic level, income level, education level, history, so this is something that can affect everybody.”
To better determine if abuse is severe and requires immediate intervention, the YWCA of North Central Indiana partnered with local police and started using the D.A.L.E. screening or Danger Assessment – Law Enforcement test.
Abuse takes many forms and doesn’t always fit nicely into one specific category.
“There are transportation issues,” says Emilie Stooke, Circuit Court Administrator for the St. Joseph Circuit Court. “There are work obligations, and there are language barriers. There are financial decisions that come into play; the parties may have children together, so it’s harder for them to up and leave as it would be someone who didn’t have children with their abuser.”
What happens when the local police show up after you or a loved one calls for a potential domestic violence crisis?
“When the police are called out to a scene, and there is a domestic violence altercation, they do what is called a D.A.L.E. assessment, and in those D.A.L.E. assessments, they will refer the victim to the YWCA or the FJC for their services,” Stooke explained.
Using 11 questions on the D.A.L.E. screening, the local YWCA identified around 450 high-risk cases in 2020, which increased to 550 in 2021.
These stats indicate that while there might be an increase in violence, because of programs in place locally, more survivors are being identified and provided assistance.
“And that’s why the education piece is so important, so once we’re able to give visibility to the range that abuse can look like, then that helps clients to identify where they were in their lives and how they were experiencing that,” Gilliam added.
The D.A.L.E. screening, or Danger Assessment – Law Enforcement test, contains 11 questions to identify severe abuse cases.
“Questions like has there been strangulation, have there been multiple strangulations, does the offender possess a gun, also if there is a pregnancy involved,” Gilliam said.
The YWCA also wants to give survivors every resource to help prevent further abuse and violence, telling 16 News Now that providing information and defining the abuse is essential to begin the recovery process.
“We discuss various forms of abuse and what that can look like,” Gilliam explained. “We like to give language to the problems that a survivor might have faced in order to validate their experience. So, whether we’re talking about the specifics of financial abuse, reactive abuse, reproductive abuse, verbal, emotional, psychological; giving language to all that so that survivors can understand their experience was domestic violence.”
Gilliam says one of the subtle signs of domestic abuse is isolation.
“Your person isn’t the same as they used to be, or they’re limited in their moments or limited in their time with you, because isolation is a major tool of an abuser, so breaking that and keeping your circle intact is going to be very productive in helping to take a little bit of a piece of the domestic violence down.”
The Law Library at Courthouse 1 also holds Free Fridays from 1-4 p.m., so if you are experiencing domestic violence and require legal advice, this free option can help you weigh your options.
The YWCA tells 16 News Now that instances of staying in an abusive relationship because of sharing a pet have increased in recent years. They have partnered with local agencies temporarily taking in your pets if you seek shelter at the YWCA.
The crisis hotline at the YWCA is active 24/7 to help survivors of domestic violence find a safe haven. The phone number is (866) YES-YWCA (937-9922).
The Family Justice Center of St. Joseph County’s phone number is (574) 234-6900.
The FJC’s 24-Hour SOS Crisis Helpline number is (574)289-HELP (4357).
Hon. John Broden of the St. Joseph County Circuit Court oversees the Civil Protective Order Court.
Source: Matt Gotsch, 16 News Now. Click here to view original post.