7th Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Symposium 10/22/2025

𝗗𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗺𝘀: 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀

𝗕𝘆 Jerry DeMarco (𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀)

A popular annual symposium in New Milford will show domestic violence victims how to protect themselves from abusers who go online to stalk, spy on, harass and threaten them.

The seventh annual Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Symposium at New Milford High School on Oct. 22 will focus on “keeping people safe from abusers who weaponize technology,” said New Milford Councilman Matthew Seymour.

“Technology-facilitated abuse is an emerging and disturbing trend in intimate partner violence,” said Seymour, who has organized and moderated the symposium since its inception in 2019.

No pre-registration is required for the free event – dubbed “Digital Empowerment: Confronting Tech Abuse Through Knowledge and Awareness” -- and you don’t have to identify yourself to anyone.

Presented by the borough, by New Milford’ police department and the local school district, the event will also be livestreamed on YouTube if you can’t make it or if you feel more comfortable watching in privacy.

In addition to survivors sharing their personal stories, Seymour will lead a roundtable discussion among leading law enforcement, government and social service professionals engaged in domestic violence prevention and intervention.

Participants include borough police and representatives from the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, Bergen County Alternatives to Domestic Violence (ADV), the Center For Hope and Safety, YWCA Northern NJ healingSpace, Never Alone Again Resource Center, Women's Rights Information Center, and Northeast NJ Legal Services.

Scheduled panelists also include retired Superior Court Judge Terry Paul Bottinelli and North Arlington Municipal Prosecutor Savvy T. Darragh, both of whom practice family law.

Every 9 seconds in the United States, someone is abused by either a partner, an ex or someone they’d only recently met. And it isn’t always necessarily in person.

“Our phones and digital spaces have become extensions of ourselves. They hold our most intimate conversations, our daily routines, our connections to loved ones,” said Marisa Heluk, Division Director for ADV. “Technology-facilitated abuse exploits this deeply personal relationship, turning the very devices we depend on into weapons of control and surveillance.”

“When our most personal digital spaces become compromised, survivors lose not just their privacy, but their sense of safety in the modern world,” Heluk added.

"Technology is being weaponized to expand abuse,” said Julye Myner, the CEO for the Center for Hope and Safety (formerly Shelter Our Sisters). “t must be counteracted with knowledge."

Mor than one in three women and more than one in four men in the U.S. have experienced intimate partner violence at some point in their lives.

Domestic violence “is not just a private struggle,” said Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton, a returning speaker. “It is a community issue that demands our collective response.”

“Everyone has someone in their lives who has been impacted by domestic violence,” said fellow returnee Savvy T. Darragh, a family law attorney and North Arlington’s municipal prosecutor. “This symposium is excellent for anyone wondering what community-based resources there are, or how the judicial system addresses this issue.”

We stand together to turn pain into purpose, amplify survivor voices, and build a safer tomorrow — one brave conversation at a time,” added another returnee, Theresa Johnston, the founder and executive director of the Never Alone Again Resource Center in Teaneck.

The symposium is purposefully scheduled during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Seymour created the program in 2019 to share information in a safe space where domestic violence survivors, advocates, and concerned citizens can talk freely and learn about available resources and services.

“Intimate partner violence is a danger to everyone regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion or political affiliation,” he said. “It affects us all. Let’s bring our community together to raise awareness and help survivors get the help they need.”

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𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧: 7𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘝𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘚𝘺𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘶𝘮

𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡:
6:30 𝘱.𝘮., 𝘞𝘦𝘥., 𝘖𝘤𝘵. 22

𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘:
𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘮, 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘯𝘺𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦

𝗜𝗡 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡:
𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦, 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦-𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥

𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘-𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗠:
https://www.youtube.com/live/wLgwt4SeFDk

(𝘖𝘳 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘘𝘙 𝘤𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳)

𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗢: Contact New Milford Councilman Matthew Seymour, the event organizer and moderator, at mseymour@newmilfordnj.gov.