BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, during which the community can honor survivors and bring attention to domestic violence prevention.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month was declared by Congress in 1989, but long before that people were already fighting to bring awareness to the issue.
Ilene Parra, the director of client services of the Open Door Network, said it is an opportunity for the community to stand together against domestic violence.
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“This month, what we’re highlighting is really standing for survivors, victims, advocates, first responders, shining a light on every story, because every story matters,” Parra said.
Adventist Hospital has a designated facility to examine victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Forensic nurse examiners spend months training and getting certified by the California Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners to be able to identify specific injuries that might be domestic violence related.
The nurses examine victims for marks on the arms, neck and other areas and collect DNA samples of potential abusers from under the victims’ fingernails and even their eyelids.
Parra said domestic violence signs can be difficult to notice.
“The thing about domestic violence is one, we view it as a silent crime,” Parra said. “Not very many people talk about intimate partner violence occurring in their relationship…some of the signs that are hidden that we identify and you can expose and see is isolation…maybe they look to their partner a lot to make decisions.”
One-in-three women and one-in-four men are victims of some form of domestic violence in their lifetime.
Parra notes that some preventative measures like restraining orders may only make things worse.
“Once you remove everything from someone who is abusive, which restraining orders can be detrimental to a perpetrator, what will happen is they start gaining this mentality of, ‘I lost everything,’” Parra said. “And then that’s when it leads to potential homicide cases.”
The facility in Bakersfield is designed to feel less like a hospital and more like a home to help patients feel more comfortable.
The facility has heaters, a playroom and several stuffed animals to help patients feel safe while nurses collect evidence.
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One of the nurses said facilities in Kern County exceed the standard in California. She also shared that, while the work may be especially hard, she has no plans to stop.
There are resources for victims of domestic violence or individuals who want to learn more about how to help a loved one.
You can visit The Open Door Network’s 24-hour crisis hotline at 661-327-1091 or visit the national domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.
