Lonna Moran, the program coordinator for the domestic violence program for the Trenton Indian Service Area, said it's important for a community as a whole to address the problem of domestic violence.
"It's really important to me that people understand that this happens," Moran said. "We need to stop being silent about what happens behind closed doors, especially when someone is being abused. Whether it's sexually, mentally, emotionally, financially or verbally, it's unacceptable behavior whether the women's doing it or the man's doing it."
Moran said she was surprised by the level of participation in the event.
"(The) exciting thing about the whole walk is that we will have 13 Indian Nations represented," Moran said. "We didn't anticipate it getting this big." Moran got involved in domestic violence awareness after her own experience.
"I had personal experience, some abuse in my life and I didn't like the feeling of being in fear or being intimidated," Moran said.
It was only later Moran found out she was not alone in her plight.
"When I got older I started talking about it more and I found out there were lots of us that had to go through this abuse," Moran said "It's a cycle that's got to be broken and the only way we are going to be able to do that is to empower (women) and say 'You deserve better than that.'"
Getting community involvement, and especially awareness, is something Moran said is a step in the right direction and having a walk is a good way of garnering community attention.
"It's going to show the community it doesn't matter what color we are, what race, what religion," Moran said. "It's going to show the community that this is unacceptable and we are going to start watching and we are going to start reporting and we are in this with you. You don't have to do this alone."
According to Moran, in July, former Sheriff and District 1 Sen. Stan Lyson played an important role in passing a state senate bill changing the responsibility for payment for rape assessments and the corresponding medications from the victim to the state.
"Before July women were having to pay for their rape assessments, pay for their medication whether it was the morning after pill, antibiotics or anything that would help with whatever had happened to them," Moran said. "We felt that charging them for something that was beyond their control meant we were traumatizing them again."
Today, a group will be putting up purple ribbons along the walk route.
Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Harmon Park with the walk starting at 10:30 a.m.
The first 150-200 walkers registered will receive a t-shirt and walkers are encouraged to wear purple, the color of domestic abuse awareness.
After the walk there will be donuts, coffee and juice and also a presentation on domestic violence.
"It's got to be a whole community that has to say this isn't going to happen anymore," Moran said. "Life is sacred."
Quick info
According to the North Dakota Council on Abused Women website:
All statistics are between January and December 2006.
*There were 4,319 new victims who received services from crisis intervention centers in North Dakota.
*At least 4,300 children were directly impacted by domestic violence.
*95 percent of the victims of domestic violence are women and 74 percent of victims were physically abused with weapons being used in 13 percent of incidences.
*The abuser had a history of abusive behavior with other adults in at least 46 percent of cases.
*At least 41 percent of the victims were under the age of 30 with at least 2 percent being under the age of 18.
*Weapons were used in at least 13 percent of cases identified. Guns were used in 22 percent of the cases involving weapons and knives were used in 24 percent of the cases involving weapons.
If you need immediate assistance, dial 911. If you need to speak to someone about domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or the North Dakota Council on Abused Women's Survaces/Coalition Against Sexual Assault at 1-888-255-6240 or 701-255-6240.
For more information and resources, visit www.ndcaws.org.
Comments