Metropolitan Family Services Address Domestic Violence via Town Hall Meeting
In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Metropolitan Family Services (MFS), a community outreach agency servicing families in the Chicagoland area, will host a Call to Action Town Hall event that will include domestic violence education, a panel discussion and a teen breakout session, on Oct. 16 at its Calumet center facility at 235 E. 103rd St.
Metropolitan Family Services has more than 800 full- and part-time professional staff dedicated to providing quality services, including domestic violence counseling, to families throughout Chicago, DuPage County, Evanston/ Skokie and the southwest suburbs. Metropolitan serves more than 53,000 families and individuals as diverse as the communities in which they live, with 81% being part of the working poor or lower-middle class, according to its website.
The U.S. Dept. of Justice defines domestic violence as:
“A pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone.”
“Domestic violence can happen to anyone regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender. Domestic violence affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels. Domestic violence occurs in both opposite-sex and same-sex relationships and can happen to intimate partners who are married, living together, or dating.”
African American women are particularly at-risk for domestic violence. According to a 2013 report by the Huffington Post Black Voices that utilized data from an unpublished FBI Supplementary Homicide Report, in 2011, African American women were murdered by males at a rate of 2.61 per 100,000 in single victim/single offender incidents compared to Caucasian women who were murdered at a rate of 0.99 per 100,000.
The Chicago Citizen Newspaper recently spoke with Lauren Jackson, a domestic violence counselor at MFS:
Chicago Citizen Newspaper: Would you tell me about the action town hall...why is it important to have these issues discussed in a public forum?
Jackson: The whole idea behind the town hall meeting is to provide education to the community particularly on the south side. It’s definitely important for us to have these discussions...to let people know that there is support out there... services that are actually free to the public.
Chicago Citizen Newspaper: Is domestic violence and sexual assault linked in any way?
Jackson: They definitely cross paths because a lot of people don’t think that’s my husband, or that’s my boyfriend, girlfriend or vice versa, that’s not looked at as abuse. Whenever somebody says “no” that does mean “no”. You can have rape and sexual assault in a close intimate relationship.
Chicago Citizen Newspaper: How can a person prevent themselves from become a domestic abuser?
Jackson: You have to find the help for yourself and there is help out there for you but it’s just a matter of finding out what the resources are for you. A lot of times people want to talk about anger management and things of that nature but anger management only blankets the real issue versus actually finding out where the root of it is coming from. Once you’re able to link yourself up with good resources I believe that will help you truly understand where that anger or where those frustrations or where those feelings are coming from and then begin to realize what’s the best way to help you cope.
For more information visit http://www.metrofamily.org/.
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