(Op-ed submitted by Mary J. Ingham, Executive Director Crisis Intervention Service)
Last Sunday morning, North Iowa woke up to hear about an Amber Alert issued for a missing 2-year old from Greene. As we learned that the 2-year old was safe, thoughts turned to the devastating murder of his mother. None of us in North Iowa wants to believe that homicide can happen in our area. But the recent murder of Judy Renee Petersen by her husband tears the mask off the tragedy of violence in the home and demands that we, as a community, stand together to prevent domestic abuse. Abusers who become murderers need to be held accountable. Domestic violence murder does not happen out of nowhere. It is the end result of an existing pattern of abuse. Batterers have, sometimes literally, a stranglehold on the lives of their victims. It is not the victims fault for stayingóleaving is often the deadliest thing a victim can do. It is the batterer’s choice to commit murder. It is the community’s choice to hold the batterer accountable. Between 1995 and 2011, at least 225 Iowans have been killed in intimate partner homicides, including women, men, and children. Domestic abuse follows predictable patterns, and services are available to intervene and help prevent it from continuing, including escalating to murder. If you are a friend or family member of someone who is being hurt, or if you are afraid of an intimate partner, contact Crisis Intervention Service at 1-800-479-9071 for help and information. Your call is completely confidential. If you know a friend or family member who is abusing their partner, tell them their behavior is wrong and ask them to seek help. If you are an employer, educate your workers about the signs of domestic abuse and resources available in your community. Take steps to keep your employees safe from violence in the workplace. If you are a neighbor, don’t hesitate to call 911 if you hear or witness an assault. Contact your legislator to ask for more funding for domestic abuse intervention services. Floods and tornadoes are disasters Iowans have to live with, but domestic violence is a tragedy that can be prevented. Everyone has a right to be safe in their home.
Mary J. Ingham
Executive Director Crisis Intervention Service
P.O. Box 656
Mason City, Iowa 50402-0656
641-424-9071
Mary@CIShelps.org
www.CIShelps.org|
