Quick Escape

NEWS RELEASE: October 4, 2011

What Children See Can Hurt For Life

RICADV’s new ad campaign raises awareness about how Rhode Island children are harmed by witnessing domestic violence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, October 4, 2011
CONTACT: Chris Wilhite at RICADV, (401) 467-9940; Cell: (401) 829-2564

Patricia
Patricia Rivera speaks to a crowd of over 80 about her experience 
as a mother of children who witnessed domestic violence.
[Providence, RI] Today, the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence kicked off National Domestic Violence Awareness Month by launching a new public awareness campaign about how children in Rhode Island are harmed by witnessing domestic violence. The campaign, titled “What they see can hurt for life,” shines a light on the often unstated reality that witnessing domestic violence has profound and lasting effects on children. The RICADV is promoting the new campaign by engaging community groups and social service agencies in the state who work with children who may be witnessing domestic violence at home.

“When we talk about domestic violence in Rhode Island, we often fail to mention the powerful impact it has on the children who live in those homes,” said Deborah DeBare, executive director of the RICADV. “We know that if children see or hear domestic abuse, it puts them at a much greater risk of being involved in an abusive relationship later in life. However, these risks can be lowered with appropriate counseling and strong relationships with non-abusive family members.”

According to statewide records, 268 children stayed in domestic violence shelters in Rhode Island during 2010, accounting for 50.5% of the 531 clients staying in the shelters during the year. Children were present during 28% of the domestic violence arrests last year, including 1,233 incidents where they saw the abuse and 1,341 incidents where they heard the abuse.

The RICADV is using this new campaign to reach out to one of Rhode Island’s underserved populations. The RICADV has partnered with Latino community groups and two new campaign sponsors, Telemundo and Providence en Español, to reach out to the state’s diverse Latino community to raise awareness about domestic violence and about services available for victims and children who witness.

The RICADV has recruited dozens of community groups and agencies in Rhode Island to help distribute campaign materials and spread the word. In addition, the RICADV is using its web site to give Rhode Islanders information they need to understand signs that children may be witnessing domestic violence and the tools to help them overcome that trauma.

Information about the campaign and about children who witness domestic violence can be found online at www.ricadv.org.

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