It’s a place of refuge and a place of resilence. The Iris Domestic Violence Center has helped thousands of people. However, Executive Director Lynne Medley-Long said the fight isn’t over.
“Domestic violence cuts across all socioecomic stratus in life, young, old, well-off, poor, white, black, brown, yellow, green,” Medley-Long said. “We need to be cognizent in the fact that we are living in one of the most dangerous places in the country. Louisiana is ranked number nine for domestic homicides in the country.”
Medley-Long said Louisiana used to rank number two in domestic homicides, but being number nine isn’t something to celebrate.
“It is clear that we have a long way to go in regards of getting our hands in our communities, our laws and our interactions to protect victim safety,” Medley-Long said. “We have a long way to go to improve conditions here for residents in Louisiana.”
Medley-Long knows how much of an impact domestic violence can have because she is a survivor. She said the most recent domestic homicide in our area happened to Monica Johnson, who authorities said died in the hands of her estranged husband.
“If we could intervene, earlier on, when it’s clear a victim of domestic violence is seeking help, and the abusive behavior hasn’t escalated to the point of homicide, we’re far better at protecting the victim, ensuring her safety and security, and reducing this escalation factor, which is ultimately what’s resulting in this homicide,” Medley-Long said.
Medley-Long said it cannot stop there.
“We need a unified strategy that places victim safety first and intervenes at a point, where we are addressing these violent behaviors before they escalate,” Medley-Long concluded.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. If you want to get involved, just check out the list of events below:
Iris DV Center
Wednesday, October 7
Survivor Candlelight Vigil: 6PM
Iris Center (location confidential)
EBR Parish
Sunday, October 11
Music, Food, Resource Fair: 5PM
Candlelight March: 6PM
Candlelight Vigil: 7PM
LSU Campus-Memorial Tower
To find out about the rest of the events, just head to the link below:
http://www.stopdv.org/