Domestic Violence Awareness Month Observed in Walton County

There's a beautiful display of purple ribbons and bows on the corner of the Historic Courthouse property in Monroe, but the story behind the display is not pretty at all. It is in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, something that has been an increasing problem in Walton County.

A few months ago, Walton County Magistrate Judge Mike Burke and some other members of the community coming together to re-form a Domestic Violence Task Force. One of the members, let's just call her Jane for purposes of this story, said she works with the group because her personal experience helps her understand what many of the victims are going through. She has difficulty detailing her own experiences without crying, even though it happened decades ago when she was just a child.

"It started when I was about 6, my dad was an alcoholic and he physically abused my mom, and he physically abused us. My mom finally got out of and got a divorce after about 22 years," she said. "I finally moved out too and got a job, but my first boyfriend, well he did the same thing. I finally got out of it too, after about four years, but that was the years before the stalking laws and he stalked me. I would hear his truck outside my home all the time - and that went on until he got killed."

Jane said because she was around it so much, it is what she was used to. As a result, she naturally gravitated to the same type of relationship.

"My mother told me before she died, that her dad, my grandad, had sexually abused her and I finally understood why we never got to spend time with him," she said, struggling to hold back the tears, even now although it is decades later. "It does have such an impact on you - and it passes on. You're so used to it, you just accept it."

But she is now out of it and works "tirelessly," according to her fellow task force members, in helping others in the community break the ties that keep them in a circle of violence. Burke gets to deal with the issue when it hits his courtroom and he is often frustrated in his dealings he said.

"I will sometimes have a wife come in and say she needs her husband to come home, after I have issued a protection order," Burke said. "She will say she needs him in the home, she has no money, and there isn't much that I can do if she says she doesn't feel threatened by him."

The new task force, however, if hoping to reach victims before they get to the courtroom. It is working with local law enforcement as well as Project ReNeWal, a domestic violence crisis center serving Newton, Rockdale and Walton counties.

"We have found that domestic violence reaches all ages, both genders and across all socio-economic groups," said Tamara Nasworthy, another member of the force. "We are even seeing teens getting involved. We hear of kids as young as 13 or 14 being charged with domestic violence."

The sea of pretty purple ribbons that has graced the courthouse property for the month of October hides a frighting statistic.

"Each of those sticks represents 60 cases in Walton County up until September this year," Nasworthy said.

In 1981, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence designated a day for unity and solidarity for battered women. That evolved into Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which is observed across the county in October and is the reason for the courthouse display. The purpose of the month-long campaign is to remind people to think about battered women and what they can do to help end domestic violence, how they can support those who are being abused - and to remember the victims who were murdered.

If you are a victim of domestic violence or if you know someone who is, you can contact Project ReNeWal at 770-860-1666 or Rick Baker at 770-316-5793. Another resource is the Georgia Legal Program, which offers free legal advice for low-income residents and seniors. The number is 404-894-7707.