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Date: 10/3/2023
WARE — On Oct. 15, the Ware River Valley Domestic Violence Task Force will be having its 8th Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Walk at Veterans Park at 1 p.m. Survivors and supporters of domestic and sexual violence will come together in hopes of spreading this message.
There will be speakers, activities and exhibits for all ages. Speakers include state Rep. Todd Smola (R-Warren), Selectboard member Nancy Talbot and the Ware High School Domestic Violence Task Force. Task force members will speak as a group and do a group reading. Plus, there will be a first-ever raffle to raise funds for the Task Force.
“Domestic violence is a public health issue,” said Task Force Coordinator Monica Moran. “Our goal is to bring it out to the open for everyone and end the silence. We really need all hands on deck on this issue.”
The Ware River Valley Domestic Violence Task Force was established in 2000, covering the towns of Ware, Hardwick and Warren. It’s a group of community members and agencies that work to engage the community in ending domestic violence. The force meets monthly to work on prevention, community education and trainings; teaching the community to have a better response to domestic violence. Eight years ago, Walk Coordinator/Ware resident Jenny Simmons attended a domestic violence awareness walk in Holland and felt it was important to have a walk in the town of Ware. She asked the task force if they would help her do it and they did.
Domestic violence (also called intimate partner violence) is a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. Abuse is in many forms such as physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS), “about one in four women and nearly one in 10 men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime and reported at least one impact of the violence.”
The survey also states, “About 11 million women and 5 million men who reported experiencing contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime said that they first experienced these forms of violence before the age of 18.” This year, the Task Force will provide training for police, support prevention efforts at school, continue community education and outreach, and possibly work with hair salons on training and outreach. They’re always looking for new members.
Moran said, “I want attendees to take away that if they are experiencing this, they are not alone and it’s not their fault. There are community members who want to help and the Task Force has worked to make sure there are services locally in our community.”
In case of inclement weather, the event will be across the street in Town Hall. Visit the Ware River Valley Domestic Violence Task Force website at waredvtaskforce.org. You can also follow them on Facebook and call their community input line 413-758-0605.