“Help! Please...Will Somebody Help Me?” Violence across America
By Miriam Medina

Part III

Public Awareness

So what is America doing to curb the violence and assist those who are victimized?

P U B L I C   A W A R E N E S S!

Awareness makes changes. This is the first and major step in the right direction.

Federal, State and Local government programs have been addressing the issue of Domestic Violence and have achieved success in keeping families safe. Great efforts across America have been having a significant impact in helping battered victims with medical and psychiatric care, providing safety shelters and food... A list of milestones with regard to crime victims rights from 1965-1998 has been compiled by the National Center for Victims of Crime with the support and assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime, Victims’ Assistance Legal Organization, Inc. (VALOR) and the many national state and local victim service providers who offered documentation. This list can be viewed on the web page : Crime Victims’ Rights in America: An Historical Overview.

We then ask ourselves; So what causes such violent behavior in society?

Public opinion suggests that it may be attributed to poverty, racism, unemployment, substance abuse, abusive parenting practices, and frequent exposure to violence through the media.

There really are no easy solutions for lessening the violence in our nation, so each and every one of us must do our part to attempt to end the violence in order to make America a safer place to live. We need to fight for tougher penalties for violent offenders, making sure that they will be punished to the full extent of the law as well as provide assistance to women who are survivors of violence.  We must be prepared to cooperate with government officials, law enforcement, educators and community leaders as well as with each other. In unity there is strength. Parents have the responsibility of nurturing and guiding their children through every aspect of growing up. They need to be involved in all of their children’s activities, protecting and keeping them safe. Parents need to teach their children about relationships, dangers of alcohol and drug use, as well as showing the difference between making right and wrong choices. "Positive reinforcement and constructive support are more effective in influencing children's behavior than criticism." Maintaining good communications with your child will make it easier for him/her to come to you when they have a problem or to seek your opinion on more serious issues as well. Because abuse and crime is on the rise, today’s parents need to oversee the kinds of video games that their children are involved with, rap and hip-hop music that they listen to as well as monitor the content of TV programming and computer use.. Parents should set viewing limits, so that the child can spend more time in other constructive areas such as reading, playing with their friends etc. Protecting children from exposure to violence in the environment, whether on television or in the neighborhood, is important for a child to feel safe.

Parents of violent teenagers…. "There are things you can do to make your home safe, for both yourself and your other children. Remove all weapons, such as knives, tools or anything that can be used to inflict serious harm. Make sure you have a telephone within reach at all times. “As a parent, it is up to you to help them understand their rage and do whatever you can to facilitate a change in their behavior.”

To report suspected child abuse in New York, call the New York State Child Abuse Hotline: 1 (800) 342-3720.

To report adult abuse, call (within New York State only): 1-800-342-3009 (Press Option 6) or contact the local county Department of Social Services Adult Protective Services.

"Similarly, a child who witnesses his parents engaging in abusive behaviors toward one another, will very likely subject his or her spouse to the same abusive patterns."

To report Domestic Violence, call their hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or TTY 1-800-787-3224. 24 hour access from all 50 states. Translators are available.

Finally, “BE AWARE” at all times...aware of your surroundings, when you walk to and get into your car; try to park in a secured area such as a garage when possible; be alert at all times for suspicious persons; also inform trusted neighbors when you are taking a vacation or a business trip, so they can pick up your mail and newspapers.. Be aware of any suspicious behavior by the people with whom your children interact with, such as neighbors, relatives, teachers, strangers, and most of all observe obvious patterns of abuse and escalating violent behavior among the people that you know.

If at any time you feel your life or someone else’s life is in immediate danger, please I repeat please DO NOT HESITATE call 911. Stop the cycle of violence and make America a safer place to live.

Conclusion:

Although we may agree that violence has become a way of life as well as a crisis in modern America: keep also in mind that there exists loving and positive families that are the backbone of this nation, to make us the great, diverse and respected nation that we are today. Positive families provide a safe, warm, loving and stable environment, for their children. These men and women honor their roles seriously as parents and spouses. Tough love, mutual respect and understanding are the foundation of their homes.

Families working together, “exerting the utmost cares in the preservation of this greatest of human relationships.” THIS is what America is all about.