Ten minutes on Twitter will uncover a world of ignorance when it comes to domestic violence — thanks to the national story regarding an NFL player who was caught on video knocking his wife unconscious inside an elevator.
The social media frenzy includes much blame – not only blame for Ray Rice, who was booted from the Baltimore Ravens after a second video surfaced this week showing the abuse – but also blame directed at Rice’s wife, Janay Palmer.
Through social media, many people have questioned why Palmer would marry Rice following the knock-out punch on an elevator. Others suggested the victim deserved the abuse or was somehow responsible for the abuse. Some call Palmer “pathetic” for standing by Rice following his termination from the Ravens, calling them both “garbage.”
These assessments stem from ignorance of domestic violence and could actually exacerbate the problem, including in Centre County, according to Anne Ard, executive director of the Centre County Women’s Resource Center.
Ard says judgment and accusations directed at victims – like the social media activity regarding Ray Rice – only increases the likelihood victims will remain silent.
“If they think there will be judgment and blame, they will be less likely to seek help or services,” Ard says. “I think what happens is people speak out of their ignorance and it makes it much more unlikely that (victims) are going to ask for help because they’re afraid of what’s going to happen if they do. It’s really important for people, before they start weighing in – particularly for public figures – that their comments come from a place of understanding domestic violence victims, and how and why people make decisions.”
Additionally, as with Janay Palmer, Ard says it is not uncommon for a victim to defend or support their abuser, particularly if the victim is not receiving unqualified support from the people around her.
“It’s not surprising that if everyone around you is blaming you that you’re going to start blaming yourself,” says Ard. “They care about the person they’re with. We hear this all of the time from people who have been victimized, sometimes brutally, that they love their abuser, and that love goes beyond the violence they’ve experienced. They don’t want to end the relationship, but they want the violence to stop.”
Victims of abuse stay with their partners for a variety of reasons, says Ard, from the love for their spouse, to economics, to the children involved, to fear.
“I think oftentimes the driving force is fear. I think people are afraid to reach out for services because they don’t know what will happen if they do. They don’t know if the system will protect them, they don’t know if it will make abuser angrier and increase their risk,” Ard says. “I think a lot of people don’t reach out because they’re afraid to.”
Statistics show domestic violence is a very real problem in Centre County.
The Women’s Resource Center served more than 1,000 victims and their loved ones in the 2013-2014 fiscal year, including more than 80 women and roughly 50 children who stayed at the group’s shelter.
Ard says the number of victims suffering from domestic violence is actually much higher. “We know that domestic violence is underreported, we know there are many more folks who are experiencing but are unable for a variety of services to seek services,” says Ard.
Between 2009 and 2014 the Victim Centered Intensive Case Management Unit for Centre County, which is housed in the State College Police Department, handled referrals for 1,226 separate domestic violence-related incidents involving 1,805 victims.
State College police Lt. Chris Fishel says some victims required law enforcement intervention on multiple occasions. Responding to a domestic violence call is unpredictable for officers and is a call where at least two people are involved, emotions are at play, and there is a history between those involved, Fishel says.
“The emotions and the amount of hurt and anger and victimization and abuse are so immense that nothing is typical,” he says.
The domestic violence unit screens all Protection From Abuse (PFA) orders issued in Centre County to determine if law enforcement or advocacy outreach is needed. Over the last five years, 1,237 PFA temporary orders and 839 final orders were issued in the county.
Authorities implemented the domestic violence unit 10 years ago. The team includes a criminal detective, advocate with the Centre County Women’s Resource Center, and a unit coordinator.
“When you combine the police response with services from an advocate then it’s far more successful,” Fishel says.
Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller says it is not uncommon for her office to prosecute multiple domestic violence cases in one week. Prosecuting such cases can be challenging, she says.
“It is always difficult to prosecute these cases with a goal of keeping victims safe when a defendant is still on the street. Domestic violence is a criminal problem, a family problem, a health problem, and a community problem,” says Parks Miller. “We try hard to make sure victims have that support system in place so they can weather the sometimes difficult process of a prosecution to make sure an offender is held accountable and gets needed services to break the cycle.”
Parks Miller says a policy developed under her leadership requires police to notify her office of domestic violence cases immediately after they occur.
“We work with victims to ensure long term success on these cases and to promote better cooperation and understanding,” she says.
The District Attorney’s Office is a member of the Centre County Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Task Force, which meets monthly.
Anyone who is suffering from domestic violence in Centre County can contact the Women’s Resource Center hotline at 814-234-5050 or 877-234-5050.
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