Letter to the editor

Dear Editor,

Relationships Shouldn’t Be Scary.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and we want our community to think about what makes a relationship scary. Reading this, you might think you don’t need this information but it may be helpful to a friend, family member, or acquaintance. Keep the DOVES Program in mind if you know someone experiencing any of the following:

Physical Violence: this can include slapping, hitting, punching, choking, pushing, breaking objects, slamming doors, forcibly blocking someone from leaving, excessive tickling, biting, hair-pulling and more.

Emotional Violence: this can include crazy-making, ignoring concerns or cries for help, questioning paternity, intimidation, stalking, public degradation, harming pets, harassment, threats of suicide, empty promises, selective memory, the silent treatment, twisting words and meanings and more.

Sexual Violence: this can include forced sex, rude stories or gestures, using sex as a weapon, mocking genitalia, withholding sex, double standards, shaming, unwanted dirty talk or sexual touching, demands for sex in return for favors, and more.

Verbal Violence: this can include yelling, swearing, sarcasm, blame, brainwashing, constant contradictions, name-calling, lying, degradation, put-downs, cruelty, irrational questioning, telling secrets and more.

Financial Violence: this can include withholding money, not allowing employment, stealing identity, money, credit or property, creating problems at work or getting partner fired, giving an allowance, controlling how the money is spent and not giving partner a say in how the money is spent and more.

If you see any of these behaviors in your relationship or in the relationship of someone you know, please know there’s help and support available. You can call 866-95-DOVES to speak with someone who understands.

The DOVES Program wants to raise awareness about domestic violence in our community because in order to end the violence, we must know what it is and what it looks like. Then we can work together to protect victims and hold offenders accountable.

Together we can end sexual and domestic violence.

Sincerely,

Hilary Wasserburger

Holly Thyne

Jennifer Ponce

Kortni Helgerson

Lisa Peden

Maurene Smith

Nicole Keller

Tabitha McCloud

Victoria Williams

Yolanda Ponce