More than 23,000 calls were made last year to the domestic violence hotline in Arkansas.
Forty-five people, including 23 women, 15 men and seven children, were killed by a partner or guardian at home in 2022.
Those were just a couple of the disturbing statistics Turning Point of South Arkansas Prevention Education Coordinator Lilli Revels shared during a ceremony Thursday at City Hall, when Mayor Paul Choate declared that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month in El Dorado.
Statistically speaking
According to the Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ACADV), agencies targeting domestic violence provided services to 20,248 people last year. At the same time, however, nearly 4,000 requests for services went unmet.
Since 2020, more than 100 men, women and children have lost their lives to domestic violence. Included in that figure, according to ACADV, are at least three women from El Dorado: Marchella Modica, 22, killed by her son’s father in 2020 while pregnant, resulting in the loss of both Marchella and her unborn child Jayceon; Stacie Lynn Morris, 51, who is believed to have been killed in a murder/suicide by her boyfriend Bryan Martin; and Sheila-Jones Courtney, 50, who was killed by her husband Robert Jones, according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
Nationally, 20,000 calls are made to domestic violence hotlines each day, while 10 million people a physically abused each year by an intimate partner, according to Turning Point.
Revels emphasized that domestic violence cuts across all demographics, and can impact anyone.
“Domestic violence is not a black thing or a white thing, a rich thing or a poor thing; it’s a domestic violence thing, and it crosses all lines,” she said on Thursday.
Video not showing up? Try this link: WATCH: Lilli Revels shares DV stats
The ACADV also reports that a domestic violence victim becomes 75% more likely to be killed or seriously injured when they leave a violent relationship; meanwhile, the longer a violent relationship lasts, the more severe violence often becomes.
That’s where Turning Point comes in. The nonprofit has an emergency shelter for women and children escaping violent relationships, connects victims and survivors of abuse to local resources including housing and employment opportunities and provides education to local youth and others in the community about domestic violence and safe dating.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Choate also addressed domestic violence statistics and dangers Thursday, when he stood on one of City Hall’s stair cases to read the proclamation declaring October Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The mayor noted that domestic abuse doesn’t necessarily have to be physical; it can also involve emotional, financial and sexual violence.
“Physical abuse is any intentional and unwanted contact involving your body… Emotional abuse is the most common form of control and can often exist in relationships where there is not physical violence. This includes put-downs, insults to one’s intelligence, abilities and character,” he said. “Economic abuse is controlling and limiting a person’s access to financial means … Sexual abuse is unwanted sexual activity, with perpetrators using force or coercion and taking advantage of victims not able to give consent.”
Revels said it’s important for the community to understand how widespread and dangerous domestic violence is.
“it is very important for our city … that we educate on domestic violence… It crosses all socio-economic and cultural lines,” she said.
Turning Point
Turning Point’s domestic violence shelter can house up to 14 women and children. The nonprofit will hold a supply drive next Thursday, October 12, at Old City Park from 4:30-6:30 p.m., where it is seeking household items like paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, soap and other hygiene products and any other common items a typical home might need.
In addition to providing a safe haven for domestic violence survivors, Turning Point also provides education to local students about safe dating and consent. That’s Revels’s job.
Alexis Walden, volunteer coordinator at Turning Point, said the nonprofit is planning a social media campaign later this month, the week of Oct. 23-27, where local residents are asked to wear purple and share a photo of themselves with Turning Point tagged to help raise awareness about domestic violence. A volunteer event is also in the works for later this month; additional details are forthcoming.
Turning Point has a 24/7 domestic violence hotline that can be reached at 870-862-0929. For more information about the nonprofit, visit endallviolence.org.