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The rally and walk raise awareness of domestic violence and remember the victims

Posted on by Kennedy
The rally and walk raise awareness of domestic violence and remember the victims

WORCESTER — An anti-domestic violence rally and walk hosted by survivors of domestic violence and abuse and their allies in downtown Worcester on Saturday was “a day of hope,” Maria Montano said.

“It's a day for people to feel safe enough to be in a place where they feel supported,” she said.

Montano, a victim, survivor, advocate and organizer, was one of about 50 people who attended the event, which included victims and supporters giving speeches in the plaza behind City Hall on a sunny but windy morning in mid-October . The walk was a loop along Front Street, past the Worcester Regional Transit Authority Central Hub and back along Franklin Street to behind City Hall.

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The rally and walk was the first of its kind hosted by Survivors Taking Action Together, a group of Worcester survivors founded in 2023 to raise awareness of domestic violence in the community and advocate for additional support services for survivors to use. The group works with the YWCA Central Massachusetts.

“Basically it's just about giving support to the victims,” Tiffany Scott said of the rally. Scott is a domestic violence survivor and advocate who works with Proactive Families Advocacy.

Organizers were also considerate of people who didn't attend because they didn't feel safe enough to participate.

“We want them to know they are not alone,” said Anne Bureau, program director for the Worcester Community Connections Coalition of Seven Hills Foundation, a partner agency of the group.

“It may take a survivor a while to leave an abusive home situation,” the bureau said. “This is a message (to your loved ones) – don’t give up on them. Don’t embarrass them.”

And it was also an opportunity to honor the memory of people who have not survived domestic violence.

In some ways, “those of us who got out were lucky,” Scott said. She stood near a memorial tree erected by Survivors Taking Action Together to honor more than 20 people murdered in domestic violence incidents in Massachusetts this year. The tree had pink ribbons for each victim. The youngest was 7.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 41% of women and 26% of men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime and reported effects. There were 19 domestic violence homicides in Massachusetts last year, but there will be more in 2024.

The rally included a moment of silence for all those who have lost their lives due to domestic violence.

“Dear God, thank you for allowing us to be here today,” Montano said as she led the speaking program behind City Hall.

She read from a poem that said, “Is it you? Is it me? Is it another woman we don't see? I know it wasn't just me who was abused…”

Officials who spoke included Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., Worcester Mayor Joseph M. Petty, State Representative David LeBoeuf and 5th District Councilwoman Etel Haxhiaj.

Early said his office is trying to spread a prevention message by going to local schools. Also, “If you see someone with bruises or a black eye, you have to speak up,” he said.

Victim and advocate Lisa Ledbetter told viewers that she had been in two domestic abuse situations. “You have to defend yourself,” she said.

The problems of domestic violence are complex and not just about physical violence, horrific as that is, organizers said.

“Take your friends and family with you. Report to DES. It’s about so much deeper things,” Montano said in an interview before the rally and walk.

This may include a survivor continuing to be harassed by abusive litigation. This occurs when a perpetrator uses the courts or files a lawsuit against their victim to gain control or power over them.

One victim of one such case, who did not want to be identified, said, “My ex is always going to court,” filing motions and wasting time and money.

Meanwhile, she was recently granted a new restraining order against her ex as he continues to attempt to exert coercive control, she said.

STAT is a founding member of Together Rising Above Coercion, a nationwide coalition of survivors, advocates and agencies created to expand protections for survivors of coercive control and abusive litigation. The coalition leads training initiatives, works with legislators, and raises awareness on the issue of coercive control and its harmful effects on survivors, families, and our society.

The coalition's work influenced Gov. Maura Healey's signing of a bill in June that enacted protections against coercive control, revenge pornography and the use of the courts to harass and intimidate domestic partners, the bureau said.

Organizers of the rally and walk praised the bill's passage as another reason for hope for the future.

“It was huge for us,” Montano said.

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