By Vanessa Selle
Domestic violence is much more common than people like to think. According to domesticviolence.org, domestic violence takes place every minute of every day in our nation alone. One in four women and one in nine men will face domestic violence from an intimate partner, and domestic violence accounts for 15% of all violent crimes. On average, more than 20,000 calls are made to domestic violence hotlines all over the U.S.
Domestic violence isn’t only found in intimate relationships. Abuse of elderly family members, young children, or anyone who is close to the abuser is defined as domestic violence.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence in any way, no matter how small it seems, there are multiple resources available.
The Bay Area Women’s Center (989-686-4551), Underground Railroad (989-755-0411), and CAN Council-Great Lakes Bay (989-671-1345) are just a few of the many organizations that focus on caring for victims of domestic violence. The National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) is available anytime.
“The Bay Area Women’s Center believes that everyone has the right to live a life free of fear. We support individuals of all genders who have experienced domestic violence by providing programs and services free of charge to meet their needs. Our number one priority is to provide a space for safety and healing. Our crisis hotline is staffed 24/7 to help survivors in their moment of need. We offer a safe emergency shelter, group and individual therapy, advocacy services, and resources to provide a hand-up to survivors as they are facing their darkest days. To any survivor reading this article, we want you to know that you are important, and we believe you. BAWC can be reached 24/7 on our hotline at 989-686-4551, or you can learn more at www.bawc-mi.org or by following us on Facebook and Instagram.”
Lindsay Richardson, Director of Development at the BAWC
Domestic violence isn’t just physical abuse. It is mental, emotional, economic, and sexual abuse. Intimidation, stalking, controlling, and many other acts are defined as domestic violence. See a complete list at Legal Dictionary.net.
History of Domestic Violence Legislation
In 1984, the Violence Against Women Act (Title IV of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act) was put into effect and was the first federal legislation that acknowledged domestic violence and sexual assault as crimes and provided federal resources for combating violence against women. This act is up for renewal every five years, and the reauthorization is based on existing protections, available resources, and programs to better provide for abuse survivors.
The VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 was signed into effect by President Biden on March 15. This reboot includes resources for housing, legal assistance, alternatives to criminal responses, and prevention planning. It includes new economic justice provisions and increases access for all survivors regardless of gender by strengthening non-discrimination laws and creating LGBTQ services and culturally specific services.
While October has been recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month since 1987, Gov. Whitmer has made this awareness specific to Michigan. Whitmer made the theme of this year’s awareness campaign in Michigan “Everyone Knows Someone” and highlighted available resources for domestic violence victims. Her full proclamation can be seen at michigan.gov.
The Tombstone Project
For Domestic Violence Awareness month, Delta puts up a display called the Tombstone Project. This display is located in the West Courtyard and in a display case on the main floor near the elevator. This project aims to raise awareness about the gravity and severity of local domestic violence.
All of the tombstones that you can see in the courtyard symbolize victims of domestic violence in or near the Tri-City area who died in 2021. There are 30 tombstones, and 29 hold the names and stories of victims. 7 are from Saginaw or Saginaw Township. The stories featured inside the display case include stories from past years and in a wider area.
The Tombstone Project was started at Delta in 2006 by a small English and Social Sciences faculty group. In 2019, the project was passed on to the Equity Office, which has maintained the project and its original intent of it.
The original purpose was to raise awareness of the gravity and severity of domestic violence locally, which is the same purpose it carries now.
The stories of victims are found on Michigan news websites and are condensed into a short snippet to display on a tombstone. The victims shown on the tombstones are those who died of domestic violence in the previous year. Students are often involved in finding the stories and helping put up the display. If anyone is interested in helping with this project in the future, you can contact the Equity Office at equityoffice@delta.edu.
