Message clear: awareness key to ending cycle of abuse

Rick Wood/Northwest Guardian

When Colonel Stewart Smythe, Department of Social Work chief, addressed the crowd of men and women Oct. 14, during the Domestic Violence Awareness conference at Four Chaplains Memorial Chapel, his message was clear.

“The vast majority of Army families are neither offenders nor victims — but they may be bystanders,” Smythe said.

Smythe said it was a good sign of increasing awareness to see a strong turnout at the conference.

“Make the right choice and act to prevent domestic abuse,” he said. “Everyone of the Fort Lewis community can make a difference.”

Smythe said it is important to know the community resources that are available for victims and their families.

“The key is to intervene early,” Smythe said. “Intervening early is not necessarily punishment.”

Family Advocacy Program on Fort Lewis offers several services such as legal advice, help with housing and new parent support, he said.

However, focusing on changing the behavior of the abuser is a central concept in stemming re-occurring abuse, Smythe said.

“We don’t put everybody in the family advocacy program,” he said.

Smythe said that victims have the option of obtaining restricted referrals.

A restricted referral is a reporting option in which a victim reports only to the victim advocate, Family Advocacy Program manager, health care provider or social worker.

The restricted report maintains confidentiality, Smythe said.

At any time, the victim may convert a restricted report to an unrestricted status to initiate police investigation.

Alcohol seems to be a major factor in abuse cases among Soldiers’ families, he said.

Although reported abuse incidents on Fort Lewis are going up, the number of resolved issues are also rising, Smythe said

“We are getting more referrals,” he said. “Services are being offered and there are adequate resources to help them.”

Keynote speaker Ben Atherton-Zehman performed his play, “Voices of Men,” to kick off the discussion of what can be done to prevent abuse.

Atherton-Zehman delivered an entertaining, yet powerful message using impersonations of characters such as Austin Powers, James Bond and Rocky Balboa.

He tackled the myths surrounding domestic abuse and sexual violence through humor and reflection.

“Most men are not abusers, but they stay quiet most of the time,” Atherton-Zehman said. “Where are the voices of men?”

Atherton-Zehman talked about respecting boundaries when involved in intimate situations.

“There are many ways to say ‘no,’ both verbally and nonverbally,” he said while imitating Rocky Balboa.

While dressed as James Bond, he showed examples of how power and influence can be misused to force women into sexual situations.

Finally, as Austin Powers, Atherton-Zehman drove home the point about the pitfalls of objectifying women and how to create an atmos-phere of mutual respect in any relationship.

The conference then separated into breakout sessions with local medical, legal and social work experts.

JoAnn Early, Fort Lewis assistant suicide prevention coordinator, spoke to groups about the possible relationship between domestic violence and suicidal ideation.

Pierce County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Patrick Hammond talked about domestic violence cases in civilian courts.

Other sessions addressed impacts of abuse on children and the relation of domestic violence and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The conference ended with a panel discussion that fielded questions from the moderator and audience members.