Communications

By Toni Marie Roderick, executive director, Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center, and Lucy Rios, executive director, Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence

BURRILLVILLE, R.I., April 12^th, 2024 – We are devastated by the domestic violence homicide of 17-year-old Nevaeh Goddard from Burrillville, Rhode Island, who was stabbed by her 20-year-old boyfriend, Shane Curry. Curry was charged in connection to her death in Stow, Massachusetts.

Nevaeh was a teenager who had her whole life ahead of her. She should be here with us today to live out her hopes and dreams. It is crucial we support our youth and create safe environments for all Rhode Island teens and young adults. Unfortunately, far too many young people are experiencing domestic abuse.

One in seven Rhode Island teens has experienced dating violence. Dating violence is a form of domestic violence and can include emotional, verbal, financial, cyber, physical, and sexual abuse. Like domestic violence, dating violence can escalate to the point of lethality and needs to be taken seriously.

Parents and youth-serving adults, including teachers and school administrators, play an important role to help prevent or intervene if abuse is occurring. Teens need to feel safe to tell a trusted adult who will listen to and believe them if they disclose abuse.

It is important that adults are looking for warning signs and are there for teens who need help. These signs include verbal put-downs and controlling where the victim goes or who they spend time with. The Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center offers resources tailored to teen victims and survivors to help teens develop healthy relationships, as well as assistance to schools and other community groups to address dating violence. For more information, visit www.bvacri.org/community-awareness.

In Rhode Island, we have a law called the Lindsay Ann Burke Act that requires every public middle school and high school to educate all staff and students about the dynamics of abuse and have a policy on how to respond to incidents of dating violence. Our coalition and member programs are available to offer training and support to schools as they work to implement this law.

We believe that strengthening our communities through safer and better-funded schools, economic supports for families, changes in our dominant culture, and empowering community and youth leadership are all strategies to prevent domestic violence before it begins. Children and teens are vulnerable to the impacts of domestic and family violence, and we need to do more to break the cycle of abuse. For more information on teen dating violence, you can visit the RI Data Dashboard on Domestic Violence: ricadv.org/data-dashboard.

For more information about resources available for survivors and how you can help, visit our website at www.ricadv.org. If you or someone you know needs assistance, please call the statewide confidential 24/7 RI Victims of Crime Helpline at 1-800-494-8100. The Helpline is also available via online chat at www.ricadv.org.

About BVAC: The Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center (BVAC) has been providing services to victims of domestic violence in the Blackstone Valley area for over three decades, and now offers services in Providence County and northern Rhode Island. It is their voices, their struggles, and their experiences, which guide our work. BVAC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide comprehensive services to victims of domestic and sexual violence and to provide education and awareness on the issue of domestic violence. Visit www.bvacri.org for more information.

About the RICADV: The Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV) is an organization dedicated to ending domestic violence. The RICADV was formed in 1979 to support and assist the domestic violence agencies in Rhode Island and to provide statewide leadership on the issue. The organization strives to create justice for victims and raises awareness on the issue of domestic violence in Rhode Island. The RICADV’s network of ten member agencies provides a wide array of services for victims, including emergency shelter, support groups, counseling services and assistance with the legal system. For more information about these organizations and services, call the statewide Helpline at 800-494-8100. And for more information about the RICADV, call us at 401-467-9940 or visit us online at www.ricadv.org.