#8. Violence 2003 – 2004

Meredith Bellson 23 posts Aug 17, 2007 2:36 PM

#8. Violence 2003 – 2004 NOTE: POST A MESSAGE TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS! WHEREAS, battering is the single major cause of injury to women, exceeding muggings, auto accidents and rape, combined; and WHEREAS, in Tennessee in 1999 – 2000 our 89.63 percent of domestic violence cases involved friends, spouses, ex-spouses, relatives, or; and violent crimes committed by relatives are those most likely to result in injury to the victim; and WHEREAS, 40 percent to 60 percent of all men who abuse women also abuse children, and these children are at great risk of physical and psychological problems, continuing the generational effects of the cycle of domestic violence; and WHEREAS, children in homes with domestic violence are 1500 times more likely to be abused than children in homes without violence; and children who grow up in violent environments are at great risk of developing types of violent personalities and behavioral characteristics of victimization, or suffering from inability to create positive social relationships; and WHEREAS, science has proven that trauma and repeated exposure to trauma can effect the brains’ ability to learn creating an inability to experience success in the school environment which greatly decreases a child’s ability to become a productive and self-sufficient citizen, and WHEREAS, if a previous domestic violent relationship has ended, abusive men often find other partners, which allows the cycle of violence to begin again and reassert itself onto another family life; and WHEREAS, despite the fact that police departments have increased training for police officers in the complexities of domestic violence, officers remain under-prepared to deal with those situations; and WHEREAS, the Federal Department of Justice states the workplace often places people at risk for violence, so many workplaces have started violence prevention programs; and health, human, and civil service employees are among the especially vulnerable workers, as compared to other occupations; and WHEREAS, national legal and medical associations have developed task forces to study the issues of and related to domestic violence; and reporting by the legal and medical professionals often precludes timely treatment for victims of domestic violence; and WHEREAS, in 2000 – 2001, there were 43 domestic violence programs in Tennessee serving 46,197 new clients, answering 44,441 crisis calls, and sheltering 4,212 women, 4,086 children, and 13 men; and these programs were unable to provide shelter to 2,286 women, 1,252 children, and 105 men; and THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that TCSW supports increased development of services in our state to better meet the needs of battered women and their children, with special emphasis on intervention services for children growing up in violent environments; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that TCSW supports the training of educational personnel in recognizing children with tendencies towards violent actions and/or violent personalities; and that TCSW advocates for provision of conflict resolution training for students in schools and training for the general public regarding violence and domestic violence, including causes and appropriate responses towards violence within one’s environments; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that TCSW encourages the development of research and treatment services for abusive men in order to halt the increase of violence in other households; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that TCSW supports honesty in reporting and full enforcement of the laws that acknowledge battering as a crime and seek to provide the protection needed for the victims; and that TCSW encourages all law enforcement departments to make training by qualified human service professionals about domestic violence and rape a standard part of their personnel development procedures; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that TCSW encourages all private, public, for-profit, and nonprofit employers to consider appropriate ways to reduce current levels of violence and to develop prevention strategies for employees who are at risk for violence; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that TCSW applauds the actions of the national legal and medical communities for their leadership in addressing domestic violence and encourage state and local level associations to follow this leadership in hopes of increasing sensitivity in reporting by the members of these associations.

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