Implementing Primary Prevention Education Respons

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Student post down below:

Domestic violence is still one of those taboo topics within my community, even knowing that it has existed for centuries. Domestic violence is still the leading cause of injury to our women, and it is a social issue that does not discriminate against gender, economic class, or sexual preference (Berger, 2018). Even though we have seen an increase in support from our local board members and government, we are still facing a society which is not comfortable speaking about spousal/ paramour abuse. Our children are suffering the ramifications of the abuse and are growing up in homes that are trauma filled.

Up until recently, I was managing a shelter that housed battered women and their children. Berger (2018) states that a significant issue facing these women is the lack of affordable housing or funds to help with housing, and these survivors are faced with becoming homeless or returning to the abusers home. I can not agree more with this. Many of the shelters available are temporary shelters that have a maximum stay of 6-12 weeks. In that time, the survivor is to find a job and gather the resources to find a home. Reality is it is not enough time. Transitional housing is only available in a few shelters, and it allows them a few more months to work towards their own house, but what happens to those that don’t have that opportunity? They end up homeless or returning to an abusive relationship. Domestic violence has made great strides, but it has a long way to go. In 1971, the first hotlines were made available for survivors, and only as of 1974, have there been shelters to help them.

Our community is implementing primary prevention education to assist in early education about the topic. Our local agency is currently educating our middle and high schoolers. Children must be taught about respect and healthy relationships as early as possible. In our area, I would consider it even more of a necessity being it that we are also faced with high teen pregnancy rates.