Posted: 10/28/2014
Parkland’s Victim Intervention Program/Rape Crisis Center offers life-saving assistance
High-profile cases of domestic violence associated with NFL players recently have turned the spotlight on a frightening public health problem that can affect anyone of any age, race, sexual orientation, religion or gender. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and according to experts at Parkland Health & Hospital System, domestic violence is widespread and affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels. It is one of the most underreported crimes.
Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on average, 20 people per minute are victims of physical violence by an intimate partner in the United States. Over the course of a year, that equals more than 10 million women and men.
Those numbers only tell part of the story, though – nearly 2 million women are raped and more than 7 million women and men are victims of stalking annually. And, it is estimated that at least 15.5 million children live in families in which domestic violence has occurred.
“There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about this issue,” said Melissa Reilly, Director of the Victim Intervention Program (VIP) and Rape Crisis Center at Parkland. “One is that domestic violence and health care are unrelated issues. But as a health care system, Parkland plays an important role in the identification of victims. Often, victims of domestic abuse view a health care provider as a neutral party and may be more willing to open up to a doctor or nurse about the abuse than to someone in law enforcement or other agencies.”
According to Futures Without Violence, a national non-profit organization dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence, in addition to the immediate trauma caused by abuse, domestic violence contributes to a number of chronic health problems. These include depression, alcohol and substance abuse or sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Domestic violence often limits the ability of women to manage other chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension.
It’s also widely assumed that men cannot be victims of domestic violence, but, Reilly said, “Males are victims of domestic violence every day. Females are more often victims, but they can be perpetrators, as well.”
Many people believe that alcohol and drug use cause someone to be abusive, but this is not so, Reilly said.
“There are high rates of alcohol and substance abuse among perpetrators,” she stated, “and victims often use substances to cope with the violence. In many cases, perpetrators blame the alcohol or substances for the violence. Although the two issues frequently occur at the same time, alcohol and substance abuse are not the cause of domestic violence.”
Some women mistakenly think the violence will decrease when they are pregnant, but this is also a myth, according to experts. Studies show that domestic violence actually increases during pregnancy.
Another widely held belief is that it’s an easy decision to leave an abusive relationship. “In fact, there are numerous reasons a person may stay in an abusive relationship,” Reilly said. “These include fear, family pressure, lack of financial resources, love, language barriers, children in the household, cultural beliefs and low self-esteem.”
The most important thing to consider if you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship is physical and emotional safety, Reilly said. The VIP/Rape Crisis Center at Parkland helps those who have experienced violence, providing crisis support, counseling and advocacy. The specially-trained staff treats the victim’s immediate needs and goes a step further by assessing a victim’s safety and need for additional resources, including information on the effects of abuse and violence, help with responses to sexual assault or domestic violence, and documents to support legal or civil actions.
“Parkland counselors and advocates assist people in complete confidence to ensure their privacy and safety,” Reilly said.
Parkland’s VIP/Rape Crisis Center was recently selected as a winner of the 2014 Access Award from the DFW Alliance for Healthcare Excellence. Parkland advocates offer 24-hour response to victims of violence who are cared for at Parkland, information and referrals for protective orders, emergency shelter information, help completing Crime Victims Compensation applications, referrals to legal services, court accompaniment for clients of the VIP/Rape Crisis Center and help documenting the abuse.
Services are free to Dallas County residents and are offered to women, men, teens and children 4 years and older. For more information, please call 214.590.2926. The crisis line number of the VIP/Rape Crisis Center is 214.590.0430.