The month of October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Throughout the month, the Tundra Women’s Coalition (TWC) will be hosting events to bring the community together to show support for those affected, to provide education about how to get help, and to teach about the warning signs of domestic violence.
On Wednesday, Oct. 4, community members will meet at noon at the Yupiit Picirayarait Cultural Center for Bethel's annual Peace Walk to raise awareness about domestic violence.
Participants will walk over to TWC where there will be a potluck and people will paint shirts for the Clothesline Project.
“I think it's important for the community to show up, to kinda show our community that there are people in organizations that are willing to help,” TWC Outreach Coordinator Elizabeth "Alagirl" Andrew said. “And I think it's really important to bring awareness to these things. Because one big thing to kind of end domestic violence or anything is education. And awareness is a big part of education. And knowing that these things exist is a good step in getting help.”
The Clothesline project is a nationwide initiative to create a visual display of violence statistics that often go ignored. Community members paint messages on shirts that get hung outside the shelter for all to see. Sometimes just a simple act like that can be part of a recovery process.
“And that's if anybody is, like, too shy to say it out loud. It's a good way for people to write their message, and those messages will be hung up outside of TWC for people to see.”
TWC has a variety of resources. The main one is their shelter, which is open for female victims of domestic violence and their children. But they also have support groups, children's programs, transportation, hospital accompaniment, and a 24/7 hotline.
According to the governor's press release on Oct. 2, approximately one in four women and one in seven men in the United States have been victims of domestic violence. Over 15.5 million children are exposed to domestic violence every year. This violence disproportionately impacts Alaska Native populations. Four in five Alaska Native women have experienced one or more forms of violence in their lifetime.
Andrew said that she thinks that the most important thing to know is how to recognize the warning signs of the cycle of violence. There are a lot of different red flags, and they can happen in any kind of a relationship, either with a partner, family, or a friend.
“The beginning would be called the honeymoon phase, where everything is good, and happy, and, like, lovey, and all that kind of thing,” said Andrew. “And then that leads to a tension buildup to where there might be some small arguments, or you could feel the tension, like, building, and with the cycle of violence that could lead to an explosion. Like, lashing out with using words or with using actions. And that's how you know if it's abuse and the way to get out of that. They would either say, like, they're very sorry, that they're not gonna do it again. But then it happens over and over again. And that's, I think that's one of the ways to know if it's an abusive cycle.”
Andrew also said that it's important to know help is available, such as the shelter, the police department, and the hospital. People can also work on having healthier communication, so instead of an explosion there's a conversation.
Throughout October, TWC will be hosting a series of events for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, including the Peace Talk on KYUK at 10 a.m. on Oct. 25, the candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. on Oct. 26, and the month long Purple Qaspeq Campaign. Every day this month, TWC will post a picture of somebody in a purple qaspeq with outstretched arms. Andrew encourages anyone to send their photo or questions to her at Elizabeth_Andrew@TWCpeace.org. TWC also has a number of job openings that are listed on their website.
