One in three young people will be in a harmful or abusive relationship, according to Do Something, a global non-profit organization to help young people make a positive change in their lives. Most teens don’t even know what dating violence looks like.
Break The Cycle, an organization focused on bringing awareness to domestic violence, classifies domestic violence as more than physical violence. Domestic violence includes yelling, humiliation, stalking, manipulation, coercion, threats and isolation. It can be seen in things like stealing a paycheck, keeping tabs on their partner’s social media platforms, non-stop texting, alienation, overuse of the ‘silent treatment’ or constantly degrading your partner.
In late September, the Georgia Legal Services Program and Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney David Cooke held an event at the Anderson Conference Center about domestic violence in the Middle Georgia area and resources available to victims. During this event, Macon Superior Court Judge Verda Colvin spoke to the audience about the dangers of domestic violence, especially among teens.
Judge Colvin presides over civil, criminal and domestic cases. She strongly advocates for young adults to find safety in confiding in trusted ones for help when they are in a dangerous situation.
“Secrets keep us sick, and there’s a difference between keeping some things to yourself because they’re intimate and personal, and then just having secrets,” Judge Colvin said. “Nobody wants to be sick, so be careful about keeping secrets.”
Colvin said that it is important to acknowledge that all dating violence is still abuse, regardless of whether you are an adult or a teen.
“There are all types of teen violence and dating violence,” she said. “Physical violence, where someone actually hurts someone in physical ways and gives scars or injuries. It could be psychological violence. . . where it gets into your psyche and makes you feel less than and like you’re invalid.”
When many think of the term abuse, many immediately think of physical abuse. Judge Colvin said that we should not undermine psychological abuse, because it can take years to recover from that type of damage.
“That’s the worst, because it can take years to undo that,” Judge Colvin said.
Judge Colvin warned against partners who isolate you from your loved ones, as she said it gives your abuser another form of control and power over you.
When someone is suffering from domestic abuse, it’s hard to know what the next step of the process is. Luckily, here in Middle Georgia, there are organizations to help aide in a victim’s recovery.
Crisis Line & Safe House of Central Georgia, located downtown, works to empower victims of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and sexual assault. They provide shelter, assist in filing temporary protective orders, provide bedside advocacy for victims, and raise community awareness through education events. Crisis Line offers a crisis center which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for victims and provides them with legal and psychological assistance.
It’s not just Crisis Line & Safe House, though. Middle Georgia offers many resources for those who need help to find safeguards and shelter from domestic abuse. Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia offers a Women’s Domestic Violence and Recovery Program called the Mission’s Women’s Divison on Zebulon Road.
The Mission’s Women’s Division is a residential life recovery program for female survivors of domestic violence and those seeking recovery from addiction. The program allows mothers to have their children with them during their time at the Mission and provides a safe place where women can find healing and regain their independence.
Statewide, there are services being offered to victims as well. The Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (GCADV) envisions a Georgia free of domestic violence. According to their website, they empower survivors and the programs that serve them, educate the public, and advocate for responsive public policy. They offer domestic violence assistance programs all throughout Georgia for victims.
“If you have unhealthy relationships now, you grow into those unhealthy relationships . . . we’re all older people living out our childhood stuff, so you’ve got to work that out now so you have less stuff to deal with when you are older,” Judge Colvin said. “I know you that will have healthy relationships.”
Victims can call Crisis Line and Safe House’s 24-hour hotline at 478-745-9292 and visit their crisis center at Spring St. near Coleman Park or call GCADV’s 24-hour statewide hotline at 1-800-334-2836.
