Local Resources For Domestic Violence Victims

By Amanda Nezzie

This week on New Mexico in Focus, correspondent Stan Wilson focuses on workplace safety and domestic violence.

“Domestic violence survives because it is a secret,” reveals Lynn GentryWood, executive director of the Domestic Violence Resource Center (DVRC) in Albuquerque.

One warning sign of domestic violence that co-workers and managers might observe is stalking. “Human Resources and administration need to make sure they are opening up dialogue by giving a comfortable atmosphere for talking about domestic violence,” says GentryWood, adding “businesses need to know they can do something before it escalates into fatalities.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended in a report on workplace violence prevention that companies “create a culture of support for victims that includes assurances no penalties exist for coming forward, complete confidentiality will be observed, safety and security protocols will be implemented, and referrals to appropriate community services will be provided as options to workers.”

GentryWood warns that stalking should not be taken lightly because it is often associated with domestic violence cases that ended in death. But she says businesses want to help and are often relieved to have resources to offer to their employees. In New Mexico, the DVRC can advise managers and business owners on legal obligations to victims, such as providing mandatory time off for court dates. And she says there are specific strategies that an employer can implement to address stalking at work, including:

• having another person record the voicemail on the victim’s work desk phone
• moving the victim to a different desk or station
• varying hours at work, including start times
• encouraging a victim to take different routes to the workplace and park in different places
• asking  security to walk the employee to their car

The DVRC serves over 2000 clients on average each year through services like counseling, legal advocacy, parenting classes, safe housing referrals and empowerment workshops. The organization is part of the The Family Advocacy Center, a coalition of service organizations that are housed in the same building downtown.

GentryWood says many people may not know that victims of domestic violence often  go through several cycles of violence before deciding to leave. “On average, a victim is assaulted six times a year, and they are severely injured 12 times before they leave the relationship,” she says. But when the victim is ready for help, advocates with the DVRC are able to provide immediate support, even if they are not Albuquerque residents.

“We never turn anyone away,” says GentryWood, “We are not telling the victim what to do; we are giving them options. We want the victim to start gaining control of their own life.”