Photo by Andrea Howry / Lighthouse
Capt. Jim McHugh, commanding officer of Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC), reads the story of a local domestic violence victim on one of 10 silhouettes currently on display at the Fleet & Family Support Center at NBVC Port Hueneme. Here, the silhouettes, which were made by Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4, are in the lobby of the Ventura County Government Center, where McHugh lent the Navy’s support to a resolution declaring October Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Laura Hanson, FFSC
It has been almost a quarter of a century since the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed. In many ways, advocates in the field still feel frustrated by the social norms of today’s society — an often-present victim-blaming mentality and the frequently held belief that domestic violence is merely a “family problem.”
Ventura County District Attorney Gregory T. Totten spoke on the issue this past May at a family violence workshop at California Lutheran University. He spoke about the importance of acknowledging domestic violence as a social problem and encouraged all community agents and agencies to work together to prevent future instances of violence.
The Fleet and Family Support Center at Naval Base Ventura County has partnerships with community agencies such as Interface Children & Family Services, Coalition for Family Harmony and the Partnership for Safe Families & Communities. Members of all these agencies, as well as representatives from the FFSC, meet on a monthly basis to discuss outreach efforts and strategies for working together to combat family violence.
The FFSC Family Advocacy Program takes a proactive approach to prevent and deter family violence.
The FFSC chose to undertake an outreach project this month with the goal of reaffirming that domestic violence is incompatible with Navy core values, undermines fleet readiness, damages families and harms individuals.
With the assistance of Chief Construction Electrician Kevin Harrison and Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4, as well as Chief Builder Joseph Bushre and Public Works, the FFSC has created a visual display for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
It is a version of the Silent Witness Project, a national, visual memorial honoring victims of domestic violence. Ten life-sized female silhouettes, each one representing a silent victim of domestic violence, will be displayed in the FFSC lobby at NBVC Port Hueneme all month long.
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
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