Guest Column/San Bernardino Sun
Point of View

Nell Soto
San Bernardino County Sun

October 31, 2005

For most of us, home is a place of warmth, unconditional love, tranquility and security. However, for many, the growing epidemic of domestic violence has transformed the home into a place of fear and apprehension.

Recent studies have shown that approximately 1.5 million women are raped and/or physically assaulted by their current or former husbands, partners or boyfriends.

Domestic violence is much more than an occasional family dispute. It is a pattern of coercive behavior that often includes physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, psychological abuse, and it usually takes place in private.

Few Americans may realize how widespread it is.

Many of these women are victimized more than once over the course of a year. As unsettling as these statistics are, it is also disturbing to realize that the children of battered women frequently witness the attacks, thus becoming victims themselves.

As citizens of California, we have to recognize and support the survivors by treating them with dignity, compassion and respect. And as Californians, we need to help victims of domestic violence and work together to address this tragic problem.

By taking strong public action against this crime, we can create a society that promotes strong values, fosters a safe, loving home environment for every family and refuses to tolerate domestic violence in any form.

Each October, national domestic violence organizations and their allies sponsor Domestic Violence Awareness Month activities to raise awareness at the national level of domestic abuse.

Government agencies, corporate and business leaders, professional associations, law enforcement agencies, hospitals and others take part in national Domestic Violence Awareness Month activities. The activities include campaigns encouraging domestic violence awareness in the workplace and in health-care settings, charity shopping days and national days of recognition.

If you suspect a friend or a family member of being abused, please let them know there is help available. There are numerous organizations that have emerged to confront this crisis, including law enforcement agencies, domestic-violence hotlines, health-care providers and battered-women and children's shelters.

For more information and assistance on resources, call the 24-hour National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-SAFE (800-799-7233) or the Victims of Crime Resource Center at 800-VICTIMS (800-842-8467). These centers can help locate a family shelter in the area or offer further assistance.

We need to stop the tragedy of domestic violence, which victimizes individuals and ripples through so many families and communities.

State Sen. Nell Soto, D-Pomona, represents part of the Inland Empire.