October is national Domestic Violence Prevention Month. Domestic violence, also known as family violence, has claimed 239 lives in Iowa since January 1, 1995. That’s approximately 30 percent of all the murders reported in Iowa during the same period.
For anyone who has been or is currently threatened by domestic violence, or cares about someone in an abusive relationship, I’ve posted ten relevant links after the jump.
Helpguide.org provides a useful list of signs that you’re in an abusive relationship. The troubles often don’t start with physical violence.
Domestic abuse often escalates from threats and verbal abuse to violence. And while physical injury may be the most obvious danger, the emotional and psychological consequences of domestic abuse are also severe. Emotionally abusive relationships can destroy your self-worth, lead to anxiety and depression, and make you feel helpless and alone. No one should have to endure this kind of pain-and your first step to breaking free is recognizing that your situation is abusive. Once you acknowledge the reality of the abusive situation, then you can get the help you need.
National Domestic Violence Hotline numbers: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) TTY 1-800-787-3224
The Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence offers advice for victims here. That organization also provides services geared toward women who have immigrated to this country.
Battered immigrant women and children are among the most marginalized victims of domestic abuse in this country and face greater obstacles escaping violence. ICADV is committed to providing domestic violence legal responses to clients who are undocumented immigrants or at risk of losing documentation due to abuse, as well as victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and trafficking.
Helpguide.org offers help for abused and battered women here, including advice on making a plan to leave, being prepared for emergencies, and phone and internet safety tips.
A more detailed planning guide is available on this page of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence website.
Project Sanctuary, an advocacy group seeking to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault, offers important internet safety tips, explaining how an abuser can track e-mail activity and how an abuse victim can empty cache files in web browsers. But the page warns:
Taking all of the actions on this page may not prevent an abuser from discovering your email and Internet activity. The safest way to find information on the Internet is to go to a safer computer. Some suggestions would be your local library, a friend’s house or your workplace. Other safety suggestions: Change your password often, do not pick obvious words or numbers for your password, and make sure to include a combination of letters and numbers for your password.
Experts advise survivors of domestic violence to “take extra precautions to proect themselves from abusers who use identity as a means of power and control.”
For those with a friend or loved one who may be in an abusive relationship, here are eight ways to support a domestic violence victim.
Helpguide.org also lists many “warning signs of domestic violence and abuse” near the bottom of this page.
The Iowa Judicial Branch has an overview of state criminal and civil laws pertaining to domestic violence here.
The American Bar Association provides resources for attorneys working on cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
Children & Families of Iowa offers a range of domestic violence services and lists many Iowa crisis phone lines:
Iowa Crisis Lines
Iowa Domestic Violence Hotline
(800) 942-0333Children & Families of Iowa
Local Crisis Line
(515) 243-6147Adel
(800) 440-4884Adel
Toll-Free Spanish
(800) 550-0004Ames
(800) 303-3488Atlantic
(800) 969-5123Burlington
(800) 693-1399Cedar Rapids
(800) 208-0388Clinton
(800) 381-9319Council Bluffs
(888) 612-0266Creston
(888) 782-6632Davenport (Iowa)
(563) 326-9191Decorah
(800) 383-2988Des Moines
(800) 942-0333Dubuque
(888) 332-5899Fort Dodge
(888) 356-2006Grundy Center
(888) 746-4673Iowa City
(800) 373-1043Keokuk
(800) 498-5095Marshalltown
(800) 779-3512Mason City
(800) 479-9071Muscatine
(563) 263-8080Oskaloosa
(800) 270-1620Ottumwa
(800) 464-8340Sioux Center
(local area codes only)
(800) 382-5603Sioux City
(Iowa, Nebraska, S. Dakota)
(800) 982-7233Spencer
(877) 362-4612Waverly
(800) 410-SAFEDIAA
(Deaf Iowans Against Abuse)
Toll Free TTY: (877) 244-0875
Relay Crisis Line: (877) 385-9011
Cell to Cell Text: (515) 770-3063L.U.N.A.
(Latinas Unidas Por Un Nuevo Amanecer)
(866) 256-7668
UPDATE: KCCI reported on October 9 that some of Iowa’s domestic violence shelters will close.
Advocates hope the impact will be minimal. In fact, they say capacity at most shelters is only around 40 percent.
Advocates say the cost of operating an emergency shelter takes a big chunk of the funding available to provide help to women and children who are victims of domestic violence.
As a result, the director for the Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Laurie Schipper, said victims are falling through the cracks.
“There are a whole group, a large group, the majority of battered women that we aren’t being able to reach as effectively because all of our time and energy are going into running shelter facilities,” said Schipper.
For that reason, Schipper said some shelters are already making changes by helping victims instead find permanent housing options.
There are 24 domestic violence shelters currently in Iowa. Under the proposed restructuring, that number could drop to as few as six.