"You shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in." (Isaiah 58:12)Domestic Violence Prevention
The ISAIAH Domestic Violence Task Force began at St. Luke’s Catholic Church in St. Paul. Everyone who gathered around that first table brought “passion in the gut” to the issue of domestic violence prevention:
· - a pediatrician who saw the effects of domestic violence on her patients;
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- a college professor of nursing who saw how it influenced and changed her students;
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- an assistant attorney general who recognized domestic violence as a human rights issue;
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- a family law attorney who saw how domestic violence decimated the lives and future happiness of persons appearing in family court;
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- a county child protection worker who worked to put pieces together after domestic violence wrecked a family;
- plus many survivors whose lives had been forever altered by their childhood or adult experience as a victim of domestic violence.
The mission of the Task Force was then and remains today: to break the silence surrounding domestic violence – in the pews and, ultimately, in the community. The Task Force believes strongly that:
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Only when the community insists that it will not tolerate in the home behavior that it would not tolerate on the street will interveners acting on behalf of the community keep victims and children safe and hold offenders accountable. And only then can all people live in safety, with dignity and power—only then can they fulfill their own promise, and participate fully in the promise of our faith and our democracy.
As a first step, the Task force will seek the following from the 2007 Minnesota Legislature:-
Shared abundance that provides full and adequate investment in shelters and advocacy programs.
- Hope resulting from additional investment in the restoration, improvement and/or establishment of services within those programs for children who witness violence in their homes.
More information on this issue at www.gamaliel.org/ISAIAH, click on Issues.
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