Ywca of West Central Michigan
YWCA of West Central Michigan
The YWCA of West Central Michigan is a community program committed to providing a safe haven for victims of domestic violence. Their mission statement, revised May 2009, asserts “YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all” (YWCA). Clark (2008a) defines, “ violence as the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, mal-development, or deprivation” (p.973). Domestic violence is a problem that strongly necessitates community outreach in support of a safe haven, such as the YWCA, for victims. Domestic violence dates back to 753 BC when laws permitted men to beat their wives using switches or rods having a certain diameter. In American History, Alabama and Massachusetts were the first two states to make wife beating illegal in 1871. Even though it was illegal, domestic violence continued, and the first battered women’s shelter did not open until 1973. It took one hundred years to make something available to the victims of these disputes. Although it took many years for these safe havens to open, by 1989 there were over twelve hundred shelters across the United States assisting over three hundred thousand women and children. By the year 2005, 3.3 billion dollars was authorized to expand programs and create new shelters (Saint Martha’s Hall, 2007). Since 1993, the rate of domestic violence has been steadily declining. The reason for this is still unknown but there is probably more than one factor contributing to this declination. However, there is still cause for concern. Clark (2008b), proclaims, “as many as 3.5 million incidents of family violence occur each year, 49% directed at spouses, 11% at children, and 41% against other family members” (pg. 973). In 2010,
The YWCA of West Central Michigan is a community program committed to providing a safe haven for victims of domestic violence. Their mission statement, revised May 2009, asserts “YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all” (YWCA). Clark (2008a) defines, “ violence as the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, mal-development, or deprivation” (p.973). Domestic violence is a problem that strongly necessitates community outreach in support of a safe haven, such as the YWCA, for victims. Domestic violence dates back to 753 BC when laws permitted men to beat their wives using switches or rods having a certain diameter. In American History, Alabama and Massachusetts were the first two states to make wife beating illegal in 1871. Even though it was illegal, domestic violence continued, and the first battered women’s shelter did not open until 1973. It took one hundred years to make something available to the victims of these disputes. Although it took many years for these safe havens to open, by 1989 there were over twelve hundred shelters across the United States assisting over three hundred thousand women and children. By the year 2005, 3.3 billion dollars was authorized to expand programs and create new shelters (Saint Martha’s Hall, 2007). Since 1993, the rate of domestic violence has been steadily declining. The reason for this is still unknown but there is probably more than one factor contributing to this declination. However, there is still cause for concern. Clark (2008b), proclaims, “as many as 3.5 million incidents of family violence occur each year, 49% directed at spouses, 11% at children, and 41% against other family members” (pg. 973). In 2010,
Cited: Clark, M. J. (2008). The population context. In Community health nursing: Advocacy for population health (5th ed., p Clark, M. J. (2008a). Societal violence. In Community health nursing: Advocacy for population health (5th ed., p.973) Clark, M. J. (2008a). Societal violence. In Community health nursing: Advocacy for population health (5th ed., p.973) McClimans, J. (October 2011). Domestic violence awareness month. In National Organization for Women: Greater Grand Rapids Chapter retrieved July 15, 2012 July 17, 2012 from http://ncjrs.gov/spotlight/family_violence/Summary.html Saint Martha’s Hall violence against women. In Grand Rapids Institute for Information Retrieved July 25, 2012 from http://griid.org/2011/07/11 The National Center for Victims of Crime. (2008). Domestic violence. Retrieved July 25, 2012 from http://www.ncvc.org/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewerID=32347 Vitanza, S. (1995). Distress and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder in abused women YWCA of Central Michigan. (2012). Retrieved July15, 2012 from http://ywcawcmi.org/mission.php