Domestic violence on the rise in county

Clackamas Women's Services hires advocates to address local problems

By Evan Jensen

The Estacada News, Dec 16, 2009

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An estimated 18 people die in Oregon every year as a result of domestic violence, according to the Oregon Department of Human Services. At least one in 10 women between the ages of 25 to 55 have been physically or sexually assaulted by a current or former partner in the last five years. In addition, domestic violence and sexual assault crimes make up more than one-third of all violent crimes in the state.

Earlier this year, Oregon City-based Clackamas Women’s Services began offering outreach services twice a month at the Estacada Public Library for people impacted by domestic violence. The organization receives more than 5,000 calls for help every year. Clackamas Women’s Services recently made changes to its outreach hours in Estacada and added additional staff to help enlarge and support the program.

Clackamas Women’s Services staff will be available on the first and third Thursday of every month at the Estacada Public Library, 825 N.W. Wade Street, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and on the second and fourth Thursday of every month at the Estacada Community Center, 200 Clubhouse Drive, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., to help community members utilize Clackamas Women’s Services.

“We want people to know we are here to help provide information, education and assistance to deal with domestic violence,” said April Quast, recently hired as the rural advocate for Clackamas Women’s Services. “We have resources available to help people in domestic violence situations, like gas vouchers, rent assistance and other things. Our resources are for people who are currently in a domestic violence situation, or survivors.”

In Estacada, Clackamas County Sheriff’s deputies respond to several domestic violence calls every week, but Quast said domestic violence is widely underreported and many victims are afraid to come forward and seek assistance.

Statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice offer evidence of just how underreported domestic violence may be in the U.S. Estimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence, against a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend, to 3 million who are physically abused by their husband or boyfriend per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Between 600,000 and 6 million women, and between 100,000 and 6 million men, are victims of domestic violence each year, depending on the type of survey used to obtain the data, says the U.S. Department of Justice.

It’s a social issue that permeates every demographic of the population regardless of ethnic background, financial status, occupation, religion or other factors. For Clackamas Women’s Services, it’s a problem that they deal with every day. The agency hopes to enlist enough people to combat domestic violence, foster healthy relationships between spouses and partners, and provide help and assistance for those who may need a way out.

“We offer a lot of services for someone who is in a domestic violence situation,” Quast said. “But, more importantly, people need to know we are here to talk, and we’ll help in whatever capacity we can. It’s not an all-or-nothing kind of thing. We want to make sure someone in a domestic violence situation will be safe, but we also allow for that person to create their own change.”

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