SACRAMENTO — The clearing house for the Sacramento area’s domestic violence services is trying to key in on neighborhoods that have a high number of reports of domestic violence and figure out why some neighborhoods may be under-reporting incidents.
The Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center was created several years ago to aid beleaguered domestic violence victims who were struggling to deal with as many as half a dozen agencies while trying to juggle family, jobs and potentially harmful situations in the home.
After helping with thousands of domestic violence cases, FJC documented a high incidence of domestic violence reports connected to neighborhoods in South Sacramento and Del Paso Heights. But areas of affluence, like Land Park, and other middle-class neighborhoods were also impacted.
Center officials believe some neighborhoods are under-reporting incidents as well since it is known that domestic violence cuts across cultural and economic groups.
The center’s chief executive officer says often there is a cycle of domestic violence that exists within family and cultural groups.
Fear, desperation and shame also prevent victims from seeking help.
Each year an estimated 18,000 domestic violence calls are made to various public agencies, including law enforcement.
One woman FOX40 spoke to took some time to leave her husband with her small daughter. She said family and cultural attitudes were not helpful.
“This is how marriage life is supposed to be and you got to be pretty much submissive to your husband and do everything he wants to you to do,” she said.
She also said she was scared and didn’t know where to go.
The woman says she now works and is living on her own with her daughter thanks to the support of My Sister’s House, one of the agencies that work with the Family Justice Center.
It is the kind of support and education local agencies hope to extend to neighborhoods that have high incidents of domestic violence, as well as areas where more resources may encourage more victims to come forward.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 800-799-7233 (SAFE). My Sister’s House also has a 24-hour, multilingual helpline that can be reached by dialing 916-428-3271.
