DONA PLAYTON

Perspective

Domestic violence is an epidemic that is threatening the economic security of women, exposing children to violence and taking a toll on our communities.

I supervise one of the few legal services programs for low-income victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking in the state and we've had a wait list for our services since we opened our doors in 2002. Domestic violence is not a recent phenomenon in our society, yet it has only been since the 1970s and 1980s that laws were enacted to protect victims and even more recently that there has been an international movement against domestic violence.

Domestic violence, regardless of the gender of the perpetrator or victim, cannot be tolerated. In 2004, Wyoming ranked second in the nation in the number of women killed by men per capita and 2007 promises to rank us again at least in the top five, if not with the dishonorable distinction of being number one.

While many still treat domestic violence as a private issue, society pays a huge cost as a result of intimate partner violence. Domestic violence contributes to higher medical costs, loss of productivity at work for employers of perpetrators and their victims, higher rates of substance abuse, and costs for shelter of victims and their children. In addition, society pays to keep numerous children in foster care, many of whom would not be there if their mothers were not abused.

Police spend a substantial amount of time responding to "domestic disturbance" calls while many prosecutors complain that even when they do pursue charges, victims are reluctant to cooperate. Consider that even though the injuries received by many battered women are at least as severe as most caused by violent felonies, the overwhelming majority of domestic violence cases are charged as misdemeanors and efforts continue in many jurisdictions to charge in a way that will avoid the federal firearm regulations that accompany misdemeanor convictions of domestic violence crimes. So even when a prosecution is successful, perpetrators rarely spend much, if any, jail time and probation is usually not supervised. More accountability and intervention is necessary to keep victims safe.

Another frustration voiced by many is why women don't just leave an abusive relationship, with the focus on what she doesn't do as opposed to why the perpetrator continues his violence and what it will take to stop him. Without understanding the dynamics of domestic abuse, the length of time a victim stays in an abusive relationship leaves many wondering if the victim is exaggerating or if she provokes the abuse.

Domestic violence is about power and control of one partner over the other. Because leaving a violent relationship upsets the power and control dynamic, many batterers will resort to extreme measures in an effort to regain control. Some even going so far as to kill the victim. In fact, most severe domestic violence injuries and homicides occur at the time of or after separation of the parties.

We should continue to fight to have victims' voices heard before tragedy strikes or another generation of children is raised to think that violence is tolerable. Without the victim, it is incumbent on the rest of society to make sure that her voice is heard and that the perpetrator's actions are not minimized by focusing on the so-called pathologies of the victim but rather, that all of us take a long hard look at how our belief systems tolerate behaviors that impact all of us - if not directly, certainly indirectly.

Pay attention to the various news stories you hear every day. From rape and murder of women to TV programs that feature men surfing the Internet looking for young girls to molest. Consider the many publicized school shootings and their connection to violence against women, including the killer in Colorado who abused several girls before killing one of them and then himself, the Amish school girls killed by a self-proclaimed child molester, and the allegations of stalking made against the Virginia Tech shooter by his first victim. The focus, though, wasn't about violence against women, it was about gun laws, mental health and school safety, which are extremely important but risk avoiding other potential underlying causes of the violence. Violence against women occurs far too often for it not to be considered a societal issue that needs a serious and aggressive response.

I applaud the efforts of the individuals and organizations that advocate to end domestic violence. Each one of us, men and women, can play an important role in reducing the societal damage that it causes. Men from all walks of life - coaches, clergy, fathers, husbands, brothers, teachers - can serve as role models for other men and boys. Children, at an early age, need to be taught that violence against women is wrong and will not be tolerated. Working together, men and women can communicate this message in a strong and meaningful way. At the rate we're going, we can't afford not to.

Dona Playton of Laramie is an adjunct professor at the University of Wyoming College of Law and attorney for the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.