Erie Co. calls for a continued dialogue for victims of domestic violence of all ages

TONAWANDA, NY (WKBW) – The entire month of October has been recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

People in Buffalo and across the country use the month to advocate and educate about domestic violence prevention.

That continued Thursday evening with Child and Family Services Haven House, in Tonawanda.

The organization hosted an event to raise awareness and bring together community leaders, advocates and friends.

I was there to give a voice to their efforts, to make domestic violence free in Erie County.

Twenty t-shirts hang on a clothesline in Tonawanda’s Tribute Park.

They are a visual expression of violence that can often be ignored.

The shirts are made by the youngest members of our community.

Lisa Chimera, Erie County’s deputy county executive, said, “The child-made T-shirts were especially moving. One of the T-shirts read, ‘Every vote counts. Even the smallest votes.’

Child and Family Services hopes to continue the dialogue and raise awareness about domestic violence in the community during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Director of Children and Family Services Tiffany Provone said: “Unfortunately, one in four women, one in seven men and for our young women, aged 18 to 24, one in three will experience some form of domestic abuse at some point in their lives experience during their lifetime.”

This statistic is the harsh reality that domestic violence can unfortunately reach anyone.

Provone said, “Domestic violence knows no boundaries. The statistics affect everyone, no matter what zip code you live in, what level of education you have, your level of socioeconomic status, your race, your ethnicity.”

There are also efforts to bridge the gap between black and brown communities and resources available to help victims.

Bury the Violence founder Kareema Morris told me this topic is personal.

Morris said: “I actually graduated from Haven House. Me and my three children lived in the shelter and so we gained experience to do what we do and know what was provided, needed and necessary and required to graduate studying from the shelter.”

Morris told me that she had experienced so many different forms of abuse and that she didn’t realize how much she encountered until she stayed at Haven House.

Morris said: “Living at Haven House had a positive impact on my life because it taught me what I had never thought or understood about domestic violence. To understand that domestic violence wasn’t just physical. It was spiritual, financial, emotional. , social.”

Together, these women hope to convey their message to victims who are still in the grip of violence and struggling to leave.

“They need help with safety planning, they need help with housing, they need help figuring out who is going to look after their children if they have to appear in court repeatedly,” said Lynette Reda, head of the special victims’ agency. Erie County.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available.

You can contact the following sources:

• Family Justice Center-Erie County: (716) 558-7233
• Erie County Child and Family Services: (716) 884-6000
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 or text BEGIN to 88788