These 3,400 flags represent domestic violence survivors in Utah

Becky McFalls-Schwartz, YWCA Utah grant writer, helps place 3,452 flags, each representing an individual who sought safety from domestic violence through Salt Lake County services, on the lawn outside of the Salt Lake County Government Center to kick off Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — While the start of October marks the beginning of Halloween festivities and the opening of haunted house attractions, it also serves as a reminder of a real-life horror that affects 1 in 3 Utah women.

To kick off Domestic Violence Awareness month, over 3,400 purple flags were placed on the front lawn of the Salt Lake Government Center. Each flag represents a domestic violence survivor who sought help through Salt Lake County’s domestic violence service providers in the last year, according to Amberlie Phillips, chief development officer of the YWCA Utah.

“These flags really represent people who have taken that first step toward building a violence-free life for themselves,” Phillips said.

According to the Domestic Violence Awareness Project’s website, historically, the color purple has been associated as a symbol of courage, survival and dedication to ending domestic violence.

In Utah, 47% of adult homicides are related to domestic violence, according to the Utah Department of Health.

Oftentimes, women’s shelters at the YWCA’s Family Justice Center and South Valley Services are at capacity, Phillips said. By bulking up the shelters’ walk-in services, she said domestic violence service providers can connect victims with community partners and help develop a safety plan to support them leaving an abusive relationship.

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said it’s an issue every sector in the community has a role in.

“What’s important is that we respond as a community and as institutions in assuring that we’re doing everything we can to prevent those tragedies from happening again,” she said. “There’s a lot of work to do.”

She said the county has worked on engaging more with law enforcement by teaching officers how to respond to domestic violence situations.

“Unfortunately, this challenge in our community is very, very deep. We’ve seen incidents and stories that have had horrific outcomes, including tragic cases at the University of Utah this year,” Wilson said.

Jennifer Campbell, executive director of South Valley Services, said the rate of intimate partner violence in Utah is higher than the national average, where 1 in 4 women are affected.

It takes a collective effort to combat domestic violence, Campbell said.

“There’s just no way for one agency to be able to meet that need on their own,” she said.

Campbell also emphasized it’s important to recognize that domestic violence isn’t always associated with hitting or physical assault, but includes emotional, financial and spiritual abuse.

“It can look different for every person who’s experiencing it,” Campbell said.

Phillips said one of the greatest barriers that keeps women with children from leaving abusive relationships is financial abuse, where women are kept from having access to funds.

Domestic violence affects all communities, according to Campbell, and affects people regardless of their socioeconomic status or race. Whenever she provides trainings on domestic violence prevention in different environments, she’s sure she’s talking to someone in the crowd who is or knows someone impacted by domestic violence.

She hopes the monthlong display helps people think they aren’t alone.

“A big myth that happens with violence is people think that they’re experiencing it, and that it’s just them and that no one else goes through this,” she said.

She said agencies like YWCA and South Valley Services want to help and support domestic violence victims. As the public becomes more educated on recognizing the signs of domestic abuse and learning about resources for survivors, she said, it could change tragic outcomes.

Phillips wishes people understood that leaving an abusive relationship is much more complicated than walking away, and that many factors come into play like feelings of attachment and control.

“If you want to be a support for someone in an abusive relationship, the most important thing you can do is listen, not shut them out and continue to extend that helping hand even if they’re not ready to leave.” she said.

During the month of October, Phillips said the YWCA will focus on the “broad spectrum” of different forms of domestic abuse.

“Odds are very good that someone you know, someone you love, is in an abusive relationship,” Phillips said. “Being able to recognize the signs and listen and be a resource is a really important thing.”

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2orkXJZ