Domestic violence has been around for centuries and it has been an acceptable, clandestine method of behavior. In 1985, Dickstein and a team of Paleopathologists from the Medical College of Virginia identified massive skull fractures among mummies 2000-3000 years old. They found that:
30-50% of the skull fractures were women
9-20% of the skull fractures were men
In primitive societies, women had great power in clans and held honorable and esteemed positions. Their power resulted from their ability to create life. However, through the passing of civilizations, women soon realized that the threat of rape and economic survival were realistic factors forcing them in to seek monogamous relationships (Engels, as cited in Sonkin, 1987). Engels acknowledged how “women paid dearly for the personal protection they sought”.
Documentation of family violence dated back to the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages. The writings revealed wife beating was a common method used to administer punishment to women. Punishment resulted from women’s voicing of opinions, showing anger, disobeying their husband, or choosing to escape the drudgery of their life’s existence.
Due to the emergence of the feminist movement, women gave publicity to wife beating. They developed an awareness of the victimization of women and the non-constitutionalism of the American Justice System. In 1970, legislation voted that assault and battery within the family, was considered a crime. Justification was now provided for women to leave abusive relationships. Until this moment in history, the phenomenon of wife beating was invisible.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month started first as just a day in October. It was celebrated on the first Monday in October, which is also known as Day of Unity. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence first observed this day in 1981. October 1987 marks the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This is also the year the first toll-free hotline was established.
In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we held an awareness luncheon on October 7th at Central Christian Church. The luncheon was a success in that it got more information to people in the community about the issue of domestic violence that individuals face right here in Texarkana. We would like to thank Outback for the lunch, All in Good Taste Bakery for the cakes, and Ruth’s Flowers for the centerpieces. Thank you also to the speakers: Judge Jim Addison, Judge Jim Hudson, State Representative Steve Harrelson, State Representative Steven Frost, and Brittany Gerber.
We would also like to thank all the volunteers that helped put the luncheon together. Without your help, it would not have run as smoothly as it did. Domestic abuse is still an issue in our community and we all need to figure out what it is that we could do to decrease these occurrences.
Thank you again to those who attended. Your support is greatly appreciated!
