New work is being done in Ohio to help free people who are caught in the complex web of domestic violence, addiction and mental health.
Cheryl Stahl, who is heading the Ohio Domestic Violence Network's new Substance Use Mental Health Project, said most survivors who seek services are facing multiple traumas and concerns.
"You're working with women who - say, from childhood - have had sexual-abuse experiences and then date people who are abusive," she said "Those people perhaps are using drugs. They get introduced to drugs; they may have mental-health concerns that are being masked by the trauma."
Research indicates that between 47% and 90% of women who seek substance-use disorder treatment say they've experienced domestic violence. Stahl said the project is teaching advocates at shelters about addiction and mental health, and how they can better assist people who struggle with these challenges.
Stahl said domestic-violence survivors can be reluctant to leave because of mental-health and substance-use coercion, when an abuser uses tactics to undermine their sanity and sobriety.
"The abusers will often use substance use particularly as a way of threatening to take custody of children," she said. "You may have the abuser as the person who is providing the drugs and sort of in control of when they get them and when they don't."
Stahl said the training will teach shelter staff how to talk about addiction in ways that encourage change and can connect survivors with peer-support services, and provide help for people who are actively using but not ready to enter treatment.
"Survivors aren't going to shelter necessarily to get off of drugs, that's not what they're seeking that service for," she said. "So, introducing some harm-reduction strategies - safety planning with people on how to hopefully prevent overdose."
Stahl said some of the work will focus on identifying brain injury as it pertains to substance use and mental health. The three-year project is starting in seven counties and Stahl said she hopes to expand it to 30 shelters.
Disclosure: Ohio Domestic Violence Network contributes to our fund for reporting on Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
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More than 100 Ohio advocates gathered this week to speak with lawmakers about policies affecting survivors of intimate-partner violence, including a bill which would make it a crime to place a tracking device on another person's property without their knowledge.
Sen. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, the Senate Democratic leader sponsored the bill and explained the measure would make installing devices such as Apple AirTags for the purpose of stalking or tracking an individual without consent a first-degree misdemeanor.
"There's nothing in the law right now in Ohio, in the stalking part of the code anywhere, that really addresses using these tracking devices, because they're new technology," Antonio explained.
At least 26 states and the District of Columbia have already passed laws protecting privacy concerns raised by tracking technology, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Mary O'Doherty, executive director of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, said it is important legislators hear directly from advocates who work with survivors every day. She pointed to House Bill 111, which recently passed the House and is now being considered by Senate lawmakers. The bill would increase the sentencing range for third-degree felony domestic violence offenses.
"We support that bill because we believe it will increase offender accountability and help victims be more safe," O'Doherty emphasized.
Last year, 112 Ohioans died because of domestic violence, according to the Ohio Domestic Violence Network's fatalities report.
Disclosure: The Ohio Domestic Violence Network contributes to our fund for reporting on Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
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February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, and young people often find it hard to navigate experiences of harm.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2021, nearly 16% of Idaho youth surveyed said they had experienced sexual violence, higher than the national average of 11%.
D Dagondon Tiegs, bilingual social change associate for the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, said sexual violence is the result of imbalances in power.
"The tools that we have to prevent sexual violence within our communities is promoting communities that are welcoming of everyone, where everyone has what they need to be able to participate in their community, like school," Tiegs outlined. "So that they're not targeted and the power imbalance is mitigated."
Tiegs pointed out there are domestic and sexual violence programs across the state but more are needed, especially in rural communities. They also noted members of LGBTQIA+ communities and people of color are more likely to experience violence.
The rate of teen dating violence is likely much higher. Tiegs emphasized one of the biggest issues, especially when it comes to reporting, is young people don't feel heard.
"Young people are not likely to tell a trusted adult when they experience sexual violence," Tiegs explained. "They're more likely to tell a peer because adults dismiss the kind of dating violence that is happening with young people."
For someone who has experienced such of trauma, Tiegs stressed it is important to ask what they need and help the person reestablish their agency. They also added healing takes time.
"It's easy for us to be supportive at the beginning, but a consistent, ongoing supportive community and people who care about them because sexual violence and dating violence requires a long time to heal from," Tiegs concluded.
Disclosure: The Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence contributes to our fund for reporting on Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault, Early Childhood Education, and Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
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As Kentuckians prepare for the Super Bowl this weekend, they can also help survivors of domestic violence.
At "Shop and Share," a one-day event this Saturday at Kroger, Food City and other regional grocers statewide, residents can shop for what they need and share a purchased item with their local domestic violence shelter.
Angela Yannelli, chief executive officer of ZeroV, explained while the primary focus is on safety, the group's 15 member domestic violence programs also promote survivor empowerment. She said donations of such essential items as toothbrushes and nonperishable foods are essential on the journey toward well-being and healing.
"Donations of things like cake mix, icing and decorations, for birthdays and other celebrations, bring joy into the lives of survivors who may not have been celebrated in many years, or for whom peace and joy may only come in glimpses," Yannelli observed.
Shoppers can donate at participating stores between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., although times vary by location. Anyone interested in donating or volunteering can visit zerov.org/shopandshare to find the shopping lists and contact information for their local program.
Regional shelters in the Commonwealth have provided safe havens and resources for more than 10,000 women and 6,000 children.
Yannelli emphasized donations of small items have added up to make a huge difference.
"When you think about 'Shop and Share' collectively, it's raised more than $5 million since 2008," Yannelli pointed out. "And made a positive impact in the lives of thousands of survivors and their children."
Yannelli noted Shop and Share also offers parents an opportunity to talk with their adolescents about healthy relationships this month, for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
Disclosure: ZeroV contributes to our fund for reporting on Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault, Gun Violence Prevention, Housing/Homelessness, and Women's Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
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