“One of the curses of history is that we cannot go back and change the course leading to disasters, no matter how much we might wish to. The past has its own terrible inevitability. But it is never too late to change the future.” Heather Cox Richardson, American historian, author, educator.

When Domestic Violence Comes to Work, by Roy Mauer, SHRM.org

“Domestic Violence and sexual assault walk in the doors of each and every workplace every day here in the United States,” said Kim Wells, executive director of the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence, a national nonprofit organization based in Bloomington, Ill. “Domestic violence robs our employees of their dignity and their health, and these issues hide in darkness until we bring them into the light,” said Wells, who is working with the NFL to provide guidance on domestic violence education and conduct a policy review.

• Sixty-five percent of companies don’t have a formal workplace domestic violence prevention policy”, according to research conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). “Only twenty percent off training on domestic violence, the 2013 survey found.”
• “Employees should not be afraid or embarrassed to tell HR about domestic violence concerns and are provided the flexibility to deal with the issue” states Janice Santiago, until recently an employment advocate at Women Helping Battered Women, the largest support agency for battered women in Vermont.
• “Domestic violence policies should highlight the employer’s acknowledgement that domestic violence happens and may impact the workplace, and that employers will do what they can to accommodate those experiencing it”, said Santiago. “Having a policy in place lets an employee know that you are aware of the issue and can provide training for the workforce or direct victims to resources.”
• “If you wait for something to happen, you’ve waited too long. Be proactive, be preventive” she warns Stephanie Angelo, SPHR, founder and principal consultant of Human Resource Essential.

The article goes on to discuss ways to create effective workplace domestic violence programs.

Statistic: Offenders in the Workplace

“Over three-quarters of offenders used workplace resources at least once to express remorse or anger, check up on, pressure or threaten the victim; 42% were late for work.” Domesticshelters.org, facebook post 8/12/24.

A Better Approach

Last month we featured an article about Restorative Justice, a concept largely based on practices in the indigenous culture. The original article that we based our response on, is from domesticshelters.org. But a previous article from domesticshelters.org, different author, Lisa Aronson Fontes PhD, offers a broader, more reasonable approach to Justice for victims of domestic violence. Ms. Fontes describes justice as “an ever-evolving, lived experience, rather than a one-time goal. “ She states that “survivors’ ideas of justice may change throughout their lives”. She states that “survivors describe wanting peace of mind and freedom, as well as physical safety. Frequently, they also want the abuser’s wrongdoing exposed” and “they want others to acknowledge what they have endured”. This approach to justice is based on: 1) Constructive Accountability: “abusers must experience some kind of consequences…; survivors “want perpetrators to take an active responsibility for their wrongful behavior …” However, Ms. Fontes acknowledges that “survivors should not peg their well-being on what the abuser might say in an ideal world.” 2) Acknowledgement and Validation: “Survivors seek an end to victim-blaming. They want recognition that they have been harmed and that they were not at fault… This aspect of justice does not depend on the abuser- it depends on the rest of us.” 3) Social Regard: “Survivors want to stop feeling the shame which the abuse forced on them. They also consider prevention of harm to other women as a form of justice… They want the media to portray intimate partner abuse more realistically. And they recommend educating young people about healthy relationships.” 4) Safety: “This includes safety from continued physical, sexual, psychological, economic, verbal and litigation abuse”… Survivors need quality laws, financial stability, police protection and support from others… The way we treat survivors can help them feel a sense of justice – or injustice”. We urge you to read the entire article. It reminds us that safety and justice for survivors of domestic abuse is something we can all help provide.

Do you know about Acres of Diamonds?

Acres of Diamonds, located in Duvall, WA, is a Christian-based program offering transitional housing for women with children under the age of 12. Acres is a known location, and they are not able to accept women in domestic violence situations who need a confidential location and/or protection, or women transitioning out of inpatient treatment for addictions. Program participants are required to attend weekly counseling sessions, weekly case management appointments, a weekly community meal, and group classes on Monday and Thursday nights. KJR https://www.acresofdiamonds.org

Scripture Verse

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV