Striking Back at Domestic Violence
A calendar-full of events spotlight Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Months designated to spotlight various causes come and go with the flipping of pages on the calendar; October, for instance, is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. But this October, area activists are determined not to let the month pass without making an impact on one of southwest New Mexico's hidden, most intractable problems.
In the US, notes Maria Morales-Loebl, executive director of the El Refugio women's shelter in Silver City and Lordsburg, one out of every four women will experience violence by an intimate partner sometime during her lifetime. In New Mexico, over 25,000 incidents of domestic violence are reported to law-enforcement annually, and even more incidents go unreported. In almost 60 percent of these reported incidents, there were children at the scene.
El Refugio is sponsoring a wide range of educational events this month, focusing on how domestic violence affects people's lives in Grant and Hidalgo counties. The community at large is invited to participate. All activities are free or by donation only. Says Morales-Loebl, "Everyone can make a difference in our community. Come help promote peace in our homes and in our world."
Two performances of Baggage by Wise Fools New Mexico will give voice to survivors of domestic violence. Baggage combines theater, puppetry and masks to capture a composite of stories of New Mexico women dealing with domestic violence. "Through this production the power of storytelling breaks the silence and fear of domestic violence," says Morales-Loebl. Performances are 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, at WNMU Fine Arts Center and 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, at Cobre High School Auditorium. Tickets are by donation only.
Two film series will also dramatize issues of domestic violence. The Domestic Violence Awareness Film Festival will screen every Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. in the third-floor seminar room of the WNMU Student Memorial Building. A discussion group will take place after each film. A new Men's Domestic Violence Film Series will screen a film on Friday, Oct. 19, at 6:30 at A.I.R. Coffee House, 208 Central St. in Bayard, and three short films on Friday, Oct. 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the Billy Casper Wellness Center Multi-Purpose Room in Silver City. Both screenings will be followed by group discussion.
The men's group behind the film series is also sponsoring a Men's Circle "to engage men in our community to break their silence and work towards a developing a Men's Resource Center." The Men's Circle will meet Thursday, Oct. 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the Billy Casper Wellness Center Multi-Purpose Room.
El Refugio is also sponsoring a three-day training on a Coordinated Community Response model for domestic violence. "This training will provide our community the opportunity to explore how effective our response is and what changes need to be implemented," according to Morales-Loebl. This Gender Violence Institute Training will be open to the public on Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 8:30 a.m-5 p.m. at the WNMU Global Resource Center auditorium. Follow-up sessions, by invitation only, will be Oct. 25-26, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., at the WNMU Student Memorial Center.
The month of activities kicks off with a proclamation at 9 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 1, at El Refugio, 800 S. Robert St. in Silver City. On Friday, Oct. 12, El Refugio will sponsor a Domestic Violence Vigil at Gough Park in Silver City, from 6-8 p.m.
In Las Cruces, La Casa Domestic Violence Center will also sponsor two performances of Baggage, on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 7, at 2 p.m., both at the Rio Grand Theater on the Downtown Mall. Tickets are $15, $10 for students and $12 for seniors.
On Tuesday, Oct. 16, La Casa plans a Candlelight Vigil at Immaculate Heart Church, Espina and Idaho in Las Cruces. A meal will be at 5:30 p.m. followed by the ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Guest speaker is Denise Brown, sister of Nicole Brown Simpson. Admission is free.
And next month, La Casa will co-sponsor a Men's March at New Mexico State University on Nov. 10, designed to "stand up against violence against women."
For information on El Refugio events, call 538-2125 or toll-free (888) 538-2125. For information on La Casa events, contact Ryan Steinmetz at 526-2819.
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