Lisette Riley
Staff Writer
Domestic violence is one of the most underreported fatalities in the United States of America. According to the National Coalition of Domestic Violence, one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.
On Oct. 23, 2013, the Bachelor’s of Student Social Work Association (BSWSA) and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. took time to educate their peers through a domestic violence forum: Break the Silence, Stop the Violence.
Shonda Lawrence, Interim Bachelors of Social Work (B.S.W.) Program Director said, “Today’s objective was to present information on domestic violence, through survivor and advocate stories and to create a forum where students could dialogue about such an impacting epidemic.”
The guest speakers were Janet Okhomina, Visiting Assistant Professor, B.S.W. Program and Summentha Jones, B.S.W., a domestic violence survivor. They discussed domestic violence indicators of an abuser, the cycle of abuse, the emotional and physical impact on the victim and the children residing in the home and how to leave an abusive relationship.
Okhomina currently works with Jackson Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Unit where she provides services for the domestic violence victims and abusers.
“We as social workers and advocates must teach the abuser better ways to control their angered emotions and what their triggers are and how to react to these triggers,” said Okhomina. “The majority of the clients I serve have learned abuse through generations of modeling; we must teach them how to break the cycle.”
Jones, a domestic violence survivor, stated that domestic violence had always been a part of her life and considers it a significant mental health concern nationally and globally.
“As a child, the violence began in 1965 in my Grandmother’s home, it was normal. It was our way of living,” said Jones who has been in abusive relationships for the majority of her life; by relatives, boyfriends and an ex-husband.
She recalls at a young age how the school system told her she had a learning disability and would never be able to learn or go any further in her education. She did not understand at the time that the effects of the domestic violence in her life hindered her from focusing in school.
However, Jones refused to give up. She earned a Bachelor’s of Social Work degree from JSU and is currently pursuing a Master’s of Science degree in Organizational Management with plans to pursue a Ph.D. in the future. .
“Although embarrassed by my story, I want to help those who may be in a violent relationship and let them know, you are a person first and you are somebody,” said Jones.
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