We all deserve safety. In fact, for social services agencies like Triumph, safety is categorized as a basic human need.

So, the “we” here refers to everyone—that means people from every race, creed, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, origin, nationality, first language, physical or mental ability status or otherwise. We mean everyone.

With the need for safety in mind, Triumph is celebrating National Safety Month by bringing awareness to one area of safety in particular—domestic violence.

Since some of the folks we partner with have experienced domestic violence, we thought we would provide some domestic violence facts and resources.

1) There are several ways to report abuse for both yourself and your child.

  • During the daytime, you can call the Yakima regional office of the Department of Child and Family Services at 1-866-469-6879.
  • After hours (nights and weekends), you can call 1-800-562-5624.
  • If you are not in Yakima County and you’re looking for your local regional office or resources, please call 1-866-ENDHARM (1-866-363-4276)

 

2) State law is designed to deploy many anti-domestic violence advocates. According to Washington state’s 2006 mandatory reporting law, social workers, medical professionals, child care workers are the state’s mandatory reporters, meaning they are required by law to report either confirmed or suspected abuse.

3) Domestic violence can be deadly. Forty-four (44) Washingtonians died due to domestic violence in 2014 and 989 have died since 1997, according to Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. This data includes both victims and abusers.

4) Young women are the usual victims of violence. Data from Domestic Violence Resource Center indicates that women comprise 80 percent of reported domestic violence cases. Of those cases, women ages 20-24 are at the highest risk.

5) Organizations like Battered Women’s Justice Program are equipping the people who most often partner with women who have experienced violence.

6) There is hope. Thanks to efforts from state, national and international organizations like Child Welfare Information Gateway, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), Women Thrive and federal legislative intervention, domestic violence is declining. Since 1994, reported cases have declined from 13.5 per 1,000 to five per 1,000.

Programs With Purpose – Domestic Violence