Many people in Illinois have been around or a part of domestic abuse. It comes in many forms such as verbal abuse, emotional abuse and physical abuse. Often times there is a combination of all three of those. It can involve just the parents or the children as well and many times both are involved. Domestic violence involving the children can be very detrimental to them and the effects can last a lifetime.
One judicial district is holding a press conference to start Child Abuse Prevention Month. A judge will be present along with the County Attorney and others who head various child abuse, prevention groups. There will be speakers at the event and displays bringing attention to domestic violence and child abuse victims. There will be a close line with shirts decorated by victims of domestic violence, displaying their experiences. There will also be paper silhouettes representing each child who has been the subject of a domestic abuse investigation.
Domestic violence can be very detrimental to the victims. One problem is that the victims do not always know how to protect themselves from future violence. However, there are ways to protect themselves. One way is by obtaining an Order of Protection, which prevents the abuser from having any contact with the victim. If the abuser has contact, that person will be charged with a crime and potentially put in jail. There are various levels of Orders of Protections depending on the need in a particular case, but they can remain in effect for a lengthy period of time given the circumstances.
There are many victims of domestic violence in Illinois and there are groups dedicated to stopping it. Victims can also take a proactive step to protecting themselves by obtaining an Order of Protection.
Source: STL Today, “Family violence council to hold kick-off for child abuse prevention month,” Megan Hussey, Feb. 21, 2014