Grant will increase safety for victims of domestic violence

Last updated Wednesday, January 24, 2007 7:04 PM CST in News

By Scarlet Sims
The Morning News

Arkansas currently has no centers for exchanges or supervised visitations, so Benton County would be the first to offer the service, Rokeby-Mayeux said.

The center would be a step in the right direction, providing a safe place for mothers to drop off children and avoid former batterers, said Judi Sellie, CEO of Peace At Home, which operates a women's shelter in Washington County.

"Most situations there (involve) children, so you have to protect the children and the victim as well," Sellie said.

Currently, domestic abuse victims are advised or court-ordered to use public places, such as fast food restaurants, for child exchanges, she said. Police stations have also become spots for parents to meet to drop off or pick up children, but the station gives a negative impression. The center would be a safer and healthier alternative, she said.

Domestic violence is a major problem throughout the state, including Northwest Arkansas, said Jayne Ann Kita, executive director of the Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

During the past 10 years, Arkansas averaged a ranking of ninth nationwide in incidences of domestic violence. In 1997 and 1998, Arkansas ranked third nationwide in domestic violence, according to FBI reports. The state dropped to 18th in 2003, according to the most recent report, but the number doesn't include the increasing number domestic-abuse related murders, Kita said. Those murders rose from 15 in 2003 to 19 in 2004 and 26 in 2005.

Kita said no area is immune from domestic violence.

Benton County had 318 orders of protection issued to protect victims of domestic violence last year, said Kelly Weiler, with the Benton County Victim Assistance Program.

Sellie said Peace at Home served more than 1,000 domestic violence victims last year. The number of calls for help doubled over previous years, she said.

A parent with a history of violence is routinely granted visitation rights, Sellie said.

"Right now, the common reality is that children are going to see their father," Sellie said

Batterers aren't always violent toward their children, she said. Instead, abusers tended to use children to control and stalk a former spouse. About 85 percent of domestic violence victims are women abused by an intimate partner, such as a husband or boyfriend. Even so, the majority of those mothers want their children to visit their father.

Scott said children deserve to have the opportunity to safely see both parents -- something a center could offer.

"We can go this route and still maintain contact between parents and the child," Scott said. "It's important for each child to have the best quality time they can have with each parent."

Organizers of the Arkansas Visitation and Exchange Center plan to proceed with a center with or without the grant, Rokeby-Mayeux said. The group formed last fall, incorporated with the state and is awaiting its nonprofit status from the Internal Revenue Service. Becoming a nonprofit will allow the group to provide free services for needy families, but the center plans to charge a fee based on income. The court can order no fees, Rokeby-Mayeux said.

If the county receives the grant, the center could open as early as this summer.

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