Her bruise did not speak about the years of emotional abuse, the terror she and her children had endured at the hands of her abusive husband. She spoke quietly about the control and isolation that have ruled her life. She is tentative, hopeful, seeking strength to take steps that will end her abuse and bring peace in her life. She is but one of the many victims in America who is taking steps to end the violence that has ruled her life.
Between 25 and 30 percent of American women report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. According to Utah Domestic Violence Incidence and Prevalence Study, one in three Utah women report having been a victim of some form of domestic violence in 2005.
Domestic violence is not the monopoly of the poor or the undereducated. In fact, domestic violence resides in the homes of the wealthy, professionals and every other imaginable socio-economic and cultural reality within Utah.
Historically, we have relied upon a law-enforcement solution when what we really need is a community response. Policymakers and law enforcement have not fully appreciated the complexity of this problem that lies at the heart of public health and safety, that reaches across generations and strains public and private resources.
The most obvious question - "Why doesn't she just leave?" - confounds our reason. Emotional ties, financial dependency, cultural and religious beliefs, lack of shelter, children and fear may all contribute to the complex rationalizations that victims weigh in deciding to endure yet another round of abuse.
The sad and frustrating reality is that the process of leaving an abusive relationship is complex. Some victims return to their abusers and face intimidation and fear if they choose to testify against their batterers.
Providing victims with adequate support and the opportunity to make real choices is empowering and can result in victims leaving dangerous, abusive environments sooner. When victims do not feel safe or in control, they realize that they are alone and the societal-legal covenant of protection cannot shelter them.
This frustrates law enforcement, prosecution, judges and ultimately our community. A different approach is not only necessary but essential to address this complexity.
On May 3, the first Family Justice Center in Utah quietly opened its doors and 10 victims of domestic violence came looking for help. Since then, over 150 victims have come forward to this unassuming garden-level space at the YWCA open every Thursday.
Last week the FJC expanded its services to three days a week for victims of family violence. The Family Justice Center is a pilot project/partnership with many community groups under the Salt Lake Area Safe at Home Coalition.
This effort of many years takes the protection, safety and empowerment of victims as its starting goal. It recognizes that by wrapping multiple services around victims early, at one location (rather than have them travel all over town), will ensure a greater sense of personal safety and control over their own lives.
This simple approach has had a tremendous impact on domestic violence where it has been applied. San Diego, which opened the first FJC in the United States, has demonstrated that this model results in higher conviction rates and a greater sense of safety and protections for victims. Most importantly, none of the 27,000 victims served to date has been killed by an abuser. Domestic homicides have decreased and offenders have been held accountable while providing greater safety to victims.
The women who have come to the center thus far seeking services have found a place of shelter, safety and services that offer them the hope to transcend their family's violence.
Their personal sense of safety and control is the first step toward their recovery and our promise to them as a community. The Family Justice Center is one community response that can keep that promise.
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* SIM GILL is chief city prosecutor for Salt Lake City and chairman of the Salt Lake Area Safe at Home Coalition.
