THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 25, 1994 TAG: 9406250237
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Medium
DATELINE: 940625 LENGTH:
Besides the more obvious forms of abuse such as hitting, shoving, choking and forcing a partner to have sex, here are other forms of abuse:
COERCION AND THREATS: Making or carrying out threats to do something to hurt her. Threatening to leave her, to commit suicide, to report her to Social Services. Making her drop charges, making her do illegal things.
INTIMIDATION: Making her afraid by using looks, actions, gestures. Smashing things, destroying her property, abusing pets, displaying weapons.
EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION: Putting her down, making her feel bad about herself, calling her names, making her think she's crazy, playing mind games, humiliating her, making her feel guilty.
ISOLATION: Controlling what she does, whom she sees and talks to, what she reads, where she goes, limiting her outside involvement, using jealousy to justify actions.
MINIMIZING, DENYING AND BLAMING: Making light of the abuse and not taking her concerns about it seriously, saying the abuse didn't happen, shifting responsibility for abusive behavior, saying she caused it.
USING CHILDREN: Making her feel guilty about the children, using the children to relay messages, using visitation to harass her, threatening to take the children away.
FINANCIAL CONTROL: Preventing her from getting or keeping a job, making her ask for money, giving her an allowance, taking her money, not letting her know about or have access to family income.
Source: The Norfolk YWCA's
Women in Crisis program
\ WHERE TO FIND HELP:
Help and Emergency Response Shelter in Portsmouth, 393-9449
Women in Crisis program at the YWCA in Norfolk, 625-5570
The Samaritan House in Virginia Beach, 430-2120
Virginia Peninsula Council on Domestic Violence in Hampton, 723-7774
Genieve Shelter in western Tidewater, 1-800-969-4673.
Virginians Against Domestic Violence statewide hot line, 1-800-838-8238.
\ ARREST POLICIES
The state has a pro-arrest policy, which means officers may arrest a suspect if they believe an assault happened. They do not have to witness the attack.
But police remain reluctant to become involved in domestic disputes, according to a study by the State Department of Criminal Justice Services.
``Many still strongly adhere to the myths and misconceptions surrounding domestic violence. Some may think that the abuser has some `right' to abuse his partner, that the victim deserved or provoked the violence, that the victim actually enjoys the beatings or that the couple should privately resolve the matter.''
Arrest policies for Hampton Roads cities:
CHESAPEAKE: Does not not have a pro-arrest policy, but is considering one.
HAMPTON: Has a pro-arrest policy.
NEWPORT NEWS: Pro-arrest. They also have the PRIDE program - Police Response to Incidents of Domestic Emergencies - which coordinates police, courts and counselors. Officers advise victims of resources, and once a batterer is charged, the court orders him into counseling.
NORFOLK: Pro-arrest. Norfolk agencies - police, court services, commonwealth's attorney's office, Social Services, battered women's shelters, mental health services - are forming a domestic violence alliance to determine how the city can better respond to domestic violence and its victims.
PORTSMOUTH: Has a pro-arrest policy.
SUFFOLK: No written policy.
``If (battering) happens in our presence, we arrest . . . because if you don't see it, you don't know who hit who,'' said Mike Simpkins, a police spokesman.
VIRGINIA BEACH: Pro-arrest. Virginia Beach is the only city in the state with a detective unit dedicated to handling domestic violence calls exclusively.
The three-detective unit screens reports that police officers must file once they've answered a family-related call. They attempt to contact victims to inform them of resources.
``In the police community, when an arrest is made, typically that's the end of it,'' said Detective Gene Wilson of Virginia Beach's domestic violence unit.
``But we go further.''
{KEYWORDS} DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SPOUSE ABUSE WIFE BEATING ASSAULT
by CNB