danc 4001-002-honr 3700 h01 advocacy proposal statement

8/13/2019 DANC 4001-002-HONR 3700 H01 Advocacy Proposal Statement

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Running Head: Behind These Walls 1

Behind These Walls: Is The Shelter Experience Enough?

Susan Thomas

DANC-4001-002-HONR-3700-H01The University of North Carolina at Charlotte


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Within this proposal, I choose to highlight the significant cause that is domestic violence

through the lens of battered women and children in shelters. I will identify how the resources

within the shelter contribute to the healing process of those women and children, who must

escape there after being victimized by a loved one. A domestic violence shelter often provides

the basic living needs for mothers and the children who accompany them. Although the stay

times of those who live in the shelter vary, the goal of a battered womens shelter, is to prepare

the families to start new lives beyond their violent experiences and to help the mothers find

permanent jobs to provide for the families they travel with to the shelter. This topic is of interest

to me because often times in the media, especially during October (Domestic Violence

Awareness Month), much energy is put towards how to prevent domestic violence, how to

recognize the warning signs of an abuse victim and even where to go to get help from an abusive

relationship. Albeit there are preventative measures in place, there are still women and children

out there who have suffered a travesty such as domestic violence and who often look towards a

battered womens shelter for support.

Within the Movement, Dance and Meaning in Pluralistic America Inquiry Group, we

have come to the realization that we all bring different perspectives to this topic and that the

integration of the feelings towards the work of a battered womens shelter could bring this topic

full circle. We have included the perspective of the abuser, the victim, what resources are

available for both parties and the importance of education either directly or indirectly on a

persons decision to abuse another person but we must also take into account those who have

been abused and are actively seeking help; is that help truly sufficient for life after the shelter?

Although basic needs are met in the shelter, what about the psychological burden that women

must carry after leaving that secure haven? Are they truly safe from their abuser or are they now


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a victimto their victimization? What are the ideal interventions for women and children in these

shelters; should they be separated? It is essential for domestic violence shelters to account for

mental illness that may arise in an abuse victim as well as create strategies that could help them

to interact better socially. These interventions will lead to a better understanding of the victims

which will lead to better intervention strategies and ultimately provide more productive citizens

to society; assuming that the shelter staff are well trained to implement a mental intervention, the

victims are willing to admit to a mental disorder and receive treatment/ counseling and that a

lack in mental capacity truly has an effect on ones ability to move beyond a domestic violence

experience in regards to settling into a new life.

This research could benefit those women and children living in a battered womens

shelter because it provides enlightenment on a situation that may be swept under the rug simply

because people assume that going to a shelter in the first place is good enough rather than to

commit to what actually happens to the women and children in the shelter and how that in turn

can affect the cycle of domestic violence. This topic is important to the Charlotte region as well

as to pluralism in America because we are all citizens of this country and this is an issue that

plagues our society. If we do not provide an effective process to truly allow these women and

children to live a sustainable life then we have failed to truly prevent the cycle of domestic

violence. It is important for those in the battered women facilities to understand if their

programming and resources are effective.


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References

Johnson, D. M., & Zlotnick, C. (2009). HOPE for battered women with PTSD in domestic

violence shelters.Professional Psychology: Research And Practice, 40(3), 234-241.

doi:10.1037/a0012519

Fujiura,G.T., Helfrich,C.A. &Rutkowski-Kmitta,V. (2008). Mental health disorders and

functioning of women in domestic violence shelters.Journal of Interpersonal Violence,

23 (4), 437-453. doi: 10.1177/0886260507312942

Beran, T., Pool, A. & Thurston, W.E. (2008).Direct and Indirect Services for Children inDomestic Violence Shelters.Journal of Family Violence.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10896-008-9191-6/fulltext.html
http://jiv.sagepub.com/search?author1=Glenn+T.+Fujiura&sortspec=date&submit=Submithttp://jiv.sagepub.com/search?author1=Christine+A.+Helfrich&sortspec=date&submit=Submithttp://jiv.sagepub.com/search?author1=Violet+Rutkowski-Kmitta&sortspec=date&submit=Submithttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10896-008-9191-6/fulltext.htmlhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10896-008-9191-6/fulltext.htmlhttp://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10896-008-9191-6/fulltext.htmlhttp://jiv.sagepub.com/search?author1=Violet+Rutkowski-Kmitta&sortspec=date&submit=Submithttp://jiv.sagepub.com/search?author1=Christine+A.+Helfrich&sortspec=date&submit=Submithttp://jiv.sagepub.com/search?author1=Glenn+T.+Fujiura&sortspec=date&submit=Submit

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