(Spirit Lake)– The month of October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The theme this year is “Domestic Violence is Everybody’s Business”.
Rachel Partello, Dickinson County Coordinator for the Centers Against Abuse and Sexual Abuse, or CAASA, tells KUOO news the theme is very appropriate as it’s up to all of us to be aware of domestic violence and to report it if we suspect it’s going on.
Partello says the statistics speak for themselves. She says in 2008 CAASA provided services to 805 new clients in the eight county area they serve. She says 92 adults and 98 children have sought shelter through CAASA in the past year, for a total of 1,933 nights. In addition, Partello says they received 564 calls on their crisis hotline.
And Partello doesn’t see the numbers going down anytime soon. In fact, she says the economic downturn has played a role in some of the new cases they’ve been seeing.
Partello adds many people remain naive to the fact that domestic violence is a significant problem in our society and that it needs to be dealt with.
In commemoration of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Partello says CAASA will be putting on its annual candlelight vigil Tuesday, October 27th at the First Congregational Church in Spencer. Everyone is invited.
CAASA serves Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Ida, Palo Alto and Sac counties with individual and group counseling for adults and children, crisis intervention, shelter information and referral, multi-cultural outreach and therapy services.
The number for CAASA’s toll-free crisis line is 1-877-362-4612.
