Expert discusses domestic violence

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Timothy Boyer
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  October became National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in 1981. The observance serves to educate communities, individuals, couples and families about the family advocacy program services and other community resources that can help prevent, raise awareness of community responsibility and inform the community of the many ways to report domestic abuse.

Paul Denial, New Life Center Refuge from Domestic Violence director, served as the guest speaker on domestic violence at the NDVAM event Oct. 23 at Luke Air Force Base.

"We need to rethink stereotypes about violence, and Denial is an expert on the subject," said Jim Yang-Hellewell, 56th Medical Operations Squadron Family Advocacy Program outreach manager. "We need to take a new look at the way we address domestic violence."

This fresh perspective on dealing with domestic violence is exactly what Denial brings to the table.

"Being the director of an emergency center is a rewarding job," he said. "We get to see the transformation, growth and change in the victims during their stays."

Enjoyable as the successes might be, Denial stresses that he runs a program that he wishes was unnecessary.

"Domestic abuse is a big problem," he said. "We provide resources to reverse the stream and break the cycle of violence. Our business model is to shrink, not grow."

A recent survey developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track violence in the United States found that one in four women have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner while one in seven men have experienced the same.

"Often these crimes are not reported," Denial said. "It is not unusual for the abuser to control everything. So the situations can go from bad to worse."

Through events such as this, awareness of the problem of domestic abuse is increasing.

"We want people to understand that this stuff really happens, and we want them to know what their options are if it does," Yang-Hellewell said.

Service members or their families who experience domestic abuse can choose from restricted or unrestricted reporting. A restricted report does not include notification of law enforcement according to Military OneSource. Restricted reporting is not available in cases in which there is imminent risk of serious harm or in cases of child abuse.

An unrestricted report will start an investigation and include command involvement.

For more information, call the Luke Family Advocacy Program at 623-856-3417 or call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 800-799-7233.