The Georgia Commission on Family Violence recently presented awards for outstanding work to volunteers and local task forces. The conference marked the 17th year of bringing together people from across the state to end the epidemic of domestic violence.
But 17 years of work by those hundreds of people has not been enough.
As we celebrated the recipients for their advocacy, our celebration was dampened by the tragic story of Korean Bowden’s stabbing — allegedly by an intimate partner — and the severe trauma to three children in the days that followed. Not a week later, a man ambushed and allegedly shot his estranged wife, Kimaya Motley Roberson, and his stepdaughter at a private school.
Bowden’s murder, the children’s physical abuse after the murder, the sexual abuse from an attempted rape, being tied to a bathtub, locked in a closet and abducted for days has caused immeasurable trauma to each of these children. Their mother is dead. They are in the protective custody of the state.
Roberson’s daughter is in critical care. She bears the physical and emotional toll of being shot and seeing her mother shot. We hope that she and her mother survive. I cannot contemplate the trauma that this child has experienced.
These tragedies must be remembered and the signs of domestic violence identified, and there must be a call to action. We also need to recognize and address the long-term psychological harm caused by severe trauma and loss. Because of the war in their homes, children and women across our state are suffering from the same symptoms that war veterans sometimes endure.
Children deserve a family and a home safe and free of violence and abuse. Victims of intimate-partner violence must be recognized and connected to community services to assist them in ending the violence. There is no excuse for abuse. As responsible citizens, we cannot stand by and see case after case of horrific violence. We must unite to fight the violence in our homes and communities.
Bowden, like other victims, reached out to her pastor and to her family about the violence she experienced. Roberson turned to the legal community. Fatality reviews reveal that victims reach out to family, friends, clergy and law enforcement. We must continue grass-roots efforts to educate family, friends, clergy and law enforcement about what they can do when confronted with loved ones living in danger.
You also can make a difference. There are community resources in Georgia to help you or a friend plan for safety, seek shelter or file for protective orders by calling 1-800-334-2836. You also can contact your local task force on domestic violence, offer support to friends, donate your time or resources to a safehouse, and model healthy relationships to your children.
I have taken a stand against violence. Please join me.
Peggy Walker is a Juvenile Court judge in Douglas County and chairwoman of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence.
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