Local Organization Fights Statewide Rise In Domestic Violence

“These assaults can happen between roommates, between boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife. Family violence does not necessarily mean domestic, or in the home,” Angela Saucedo said.

By Cristina Carreon

Family violence cases have increased by five percent statewide in Texas, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety crime report.

There were 26 family violence-related fatalities reported to The San Marcos Police Department in San Marcos alone last year. But organizations like the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center in San Marcos hope to do something about it.

These cases largely occur between married spouses, but the second most common relationship is between common law spouses, and then between family members, according to the crime report. But domestic violence can be a difficult term to define.

Angela Saucedo, police records supervisor for The San Marcos Police Department, said domestic violence cases are difficult to categorize because such cases can happen anywhere

“Domestic violence cases are harder to break down. We don’t have such records easily available because these cases involve numerous factors,” Saucedo said.

Saucedo said one factor of domestic violence is location. Domestic violence doesn’t just occur in the home. It can happen in bars, cars, or other places outside the home.

Another factor of domestic violence is the identities of the victim and abuser, as such cases do not always happen between related family members.

“These assaults can happen between roommates, between boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife. Family violence does not necessarily mean domestic, or in the home,” she said.

According to the crime report, the largest percentage of family violence occurs between family members, married couples, and then common law spouses.

There is currently legislation being brought to the Texas House of Representatives to address this rise in assault-related crime.

State Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, filed two House bills in March that would address victim confidentiality and protection during criminal cases.

House Bill 3649, or the Victim Information Privacy Act, relates to the confidentiality of communications made by victims of certain family violence cases to advocates and would encourage victims to seek help by protecting their identities.

House Bill 3655 would grant monetary reimbursements to counties for monitoring victims and defendants in future family violence-related criminal cases.

The bills have been introduced for the 2017 legislative session, but no progress has been made in passing them.

Fortunately, this won’t stop the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center from helping victims in need in San Marcos. The Center served over 1,050 victims of family violence las year, and 392 of those were victims of sexual assault or family violence.

The Center was founded in 1978 to promote professional growth for women but changed focus to domestic abuse after receiving phone calls from many victims seeking help.

This nonprofit organization receives funding from the Health and Human Services Family Violence Program.

Melissa Rodriguez, director of community partnerships, at the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center, is from a small town in South Texas called Robstown.

Rodriguez started her career in social services, working at Planned Parenthood, the YCWA, and Lifeworks, a youth advocacy center in Austin.

Having worked for family advocacy groups over the last 20 years, Rodriguez has worn many hats, from interviewer to counselor of parents and children, overseer of a multidisciplinary enforcement group that worked with police, and Child Protective Services, as well as acting as a special witness in CPS and criminal trials.

“I moved up here to work with youth and teen parents,” Rodriguez said. “Working for and on these issues has been my passion since day one, and I am privileged and honored to be part of the movement to end violence in the community.”

Although 72 percent of women were domestic violence victims in 2015, according to the report, men are also affected by this kind of crime.

Jemm Corona-Morris, a primary prevention educator at the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center, is a Texas State University graduate who participated the Men Against Violence student organization while attending his university.

Because Corona-Morris’ father was an alcoholic, he decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in health and wellness to better understand his father’s illness and try to help men deal with anger. 

Corona-Morris said alcohol abuse is a common factor in many of the family violence cases he has encountered.

“I would hear other kids talk about the experiences they had to overcome in Al-Anon. Their parents were self-medicating with alcohol,” he said.

He originally wanted to study sexual health but decided to pursue health and wellness because he believes a big part of health promotion is violence prevention.

“What’s important is what is behind the violence; recognizing why men are violent is an important part of the problem,” Corona-Morris said.

From working with Men Against Violence, Corona-Morris observed how men in the group opened up about their experiences with violence at home.

“I saw how men are programmed to shut down so much emotion so that all they have is anger,” Corona-Morris said. “When we are trapped with no other outlet, we either take our anger out on ourselves or on others.”

Although it was difficult to cope with his father’s illness, Corona-Morris joined the HCWC to help kids dealing with similar issues at home through the Center’s educational outreach program.

“I never understood how my mother and father treated my brother and I the way they did until I heard what happened to them,” he said. “I never understood why I had troubles in my relationships until I realized the impact my parents had on me. And I see that cycle again and again with the people I’m helping through HCWC.”

Corona-Morris said he hopes his work with the Center will help improve the lives of children suffering abuse at home.

Check out my photo slideshow of the Candlelight Vigil here:

http://www.photosnack.com/Ccarreon90/thehayscaldwellwomenscentercandelightvigil.html