WATKINS GLEN, NY (WENY) -- People came together Thursday evening at Lafayette Park in Watkins Glen to shine a light on the issue of domestic violence.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Thursday's event was the first of two hosted by Catholic Charities of Chemung and Schuyler Counties' First Step Victim Services Program.
Data shows one in four women, and one in nine men will experience severe intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
Tonight's event featured the story of Johanna Dombroski, survivor of domestic violence. She bravely shared her experience of being trapped in an abusive relationship when she was just 18 years old.
"As a young woman, very young, I was 18, and found myself in a relationship where I was abused by my boyfriend. [It was] really difficult time for me, and just understanding what were my options, I didn’t have a lot, or I felt like I didn’t have a lot, so and I think that’s where telling our stories and really taking the shame off of the abused and putting it on the abuser is really critical," she said.
During her remarks, Johanna described feeling trapped and controlled by an abusive boyfriend, and having to wear turtlenecks and style her hair in such a way to hide the bruises and injuries he left behind. She explained the first time she tried to get police to help her, the officers put the blame on her for the situation. Her second opportunity to escape came after her boyfriend pushed her down the stairs when she was six months pregnant. She went to the hospital to make sure her unborn baby was OK, and it was the second time she encountered law enforcement and detailed her abuse. She explained that once her boyfriend was threatened with the possibility of jail, he left and the abuse stopped.
Now, she explained her baby from that relationship is now a grown man, and she has a supportive husband and a wonderful life. She wants other survivors to know that help is out there.
"I tell people all the time, I don’t just survive, I thrive – I have a great life, I have a wonderful husband, a beautiful family, so there is life on the other side of abuse. And we can get women, or men, or whoever is in these abusive situations, if we can get them that help and that support and that out, they get to realize that too, and I just think that’s really phenomenal," Johanna said.
Lauren Lovett, the Program Supervisor for Catholic Charities' First Step Victim Services Program, explained that they provide emotional, physical, and financial support for survivors of domestic violence. She says no matter where you are in your journey, help is available.
"We do one on one counseling, we help with court accompaniment, petitions, all sorts of different things, financial assistance, you know really anything that could help support a victim to get through their experience... We really like to say that you're not alone, in any way shape or form, we're here to support you. It just takes one call and we can point you in the right direction and be by your side the whole way through," Lovett said.
There is a second Shine the Light on Domestic Violence event on October 17th at 6PM at Wisner Park in Elmira.
Catholic Charities First Step Victim Services Program has a 24/7 hotline for victims of domestic violence, who can call or text 607-742-9629. A Victims Services advocate can be reached by phone at 607-535-2050 during normal business hours.
The program provides advocacy and referral services to victims of crime in Chemung and Schuyler Counties. For more information on the services provided, for both adults and children, click here.