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Highlands Today

Domestic Violence Victims Calling Later For Help

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By JOE SEELIG

Highlands Today

Published: July 18, 2008

SEBRING - Due to a downturn in economic conditions, victims of domestic violence are staying in abusive situations longer and, as a result, often are more badly abused, according to Joy Kruppa, director of victim's services at the Peace River Rape Recovery and Resource Center.

The center has two shelters: a 15-bed unit in Sebring and a second one in Lakeland, with 26 beds.

Kruppa appeared before the Board of Highlands County Commissioners to report on its operation in Highlands County. The county commission helps support the safe house with $30,000 funding.

"Because of the economy, many young people will make the choice to stay where they are at," Kruppa said Wednesday during an interview with Highlands Today.

What they are seeing is a certain number of women are "more badly abused," she said.

When the economy is bad, the victims find themselves without the social or physical resources they need, she said.

Good paying jobs with benefits are harder to find. Housing, food, gas, higher education, everything is becoming more expensive. Highlands County doesn't have a mass transit system.

"It's going to be more difficult for them to become re-established," she said. "Many may not have friends or family to fall back on.

"The longer the victims wait to get out, the greater the risk," she said.

There are tons of studies to back up the data that over a prolonged period of time, abuse becomes increasingly more violent without intervention and treatment for the abuser, she said.

Abuse is defined as a pattern of coercive controls that one person exercises over another person.

"Battering is a behavior that physically harms, arouses fear, prevents a partner from doing what they wish or forces them to behave in ways they do not want," according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline's Web site. "Battering includes the use of physical and sexual violence, threats and intimidation, emotional abuse and economic deprivation."

Emotional, psychological, threats to harm or steal the children, physical, financial and sexual abuse, are all tactics included with a battery, Kruppa said.

"It's a very complex crime that occurs," she said.

Most of the victims are female; women of all ages. The oldest woman the shelter has taken in was 86 years old. They help about one or two male victims a year.

Sheriff's statistician Sharon Burch said in 2000 there were 509 domestic violence calls. In 2006, the number was 644, compared to 586 calls in 2007. Year-to-date, 381 domestic violence calls have been received.

Highlands County Sheriff's Lt. John Chess is with the Special Victims Unit, which works out of the Children's Advocacy Center of Highlands County.

The number of domestic violence complaints filed through DCF has increased in Highlands County, Chess said, citing six-month statistics.

Chess said that from January through June, the sheriff's office received 166 domestic violence complaints run through DCF, compared to 144 for the same period in 2007. These calls involved child abuse and perhaps adults.

Some people have the option to stay with family or friends, but not everyone can do that.

"If they feel they are in danger, we will put them in a safe house with their children," Chess said. "We will do everything we can to keep them safe."

From there, a whole list of services are available to help.

"We tell everybody they don't have to live this way," Chess said.

First, the victim is placed in a safe environment. Then, paperwork is done to obtain a restraining order against the perpetrator, which is taken before a judge.

People who have questions are encouraged to contact the sheriff's office at 1-863-402-7357 and ask to speak with the victim's advocate, or if they feel they are in immediate danger call 911.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available to callers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to provide services in more than 170 languages. Hotline advocates answer questions, provide safety planning and information as well as directly connect callers to domestic violence resources available in their local calling area.

To contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline call: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 or http://www.ndvh.org/educate/index.html

Joe Seelig can be reached at (863) 386-5834 or jseelig@highlandstoday.com

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