Did you know that 28% of high school and college students experience dating violence? Or, did you know that 1 out of 3 women worldwide have been victims of some kind of abuse during their lifetime? What about that violence against women occurs in 20% of dating couples? I didn’t.
Maybe it’s a result of watching all together too many episodes of Cops with my father. I assumed that abuse only entailed Johnny Redneck beating his bride black and blue.
According to Salem-based group, Help for Abused Women and Children (HAWC) domestic abuse is a “system of coercive behavior used by adults or adolescents to establish and maintain power and control over a particular family member.” Abuse could be a boyfriend constantly yelling at his girlfriend or the possessive girlfriend coercing her boyfriend into only spending time with her.
Jasmine Houlette, a senior social work and sociology double major, has worked at HAWC this semester as her final practicum. HAWC provides a variety of services for abused women and children, from advocacy in court, one-on-one counseling and support groups to the shelter run by the organization for women in crisis. HAWC also educates the community about domestic violence and even runs a consignment store, Rerun, on Rantoul Street in Beverly to help fund its efforts.
Houlette has been involved in a little bit of everything during her practicum with HAWC. However, her time with HAWC meant more than completing academic requirements. “Domestic violence affects everyone,” Houlette said. Through working with abused women she has learned many life lessons. For instance, Houlette mentioned facilitating a support group in which she was inspired by watching women start taking control of their lives and end the feelings of isolation associated with their abusive relationships.
Houlette organized the first Gordon team to participate in the annual Walk for HAWC. Eight Gordon students raised $350 while participating with 1200 other walkers on April 27th. HAWC has raised over $160,000 from the walk.
Houlette hopes Gordon students continue to become educated about abuse and how it affects everyone. To learn more, check out www.helpabusedwomen.org.
