GNTC, Family Crisis Center observe Domestic Violence Awareness Month
In the last 12 months alone, nearly eight million days of work were lost due to a dangerous and deadly outbreak close to the home.
That’s the equivalent of 32,000 full-time jobs!
This is just one of many statistics that makes Domestic Violence Awareness a priority. Each October, this home-grown system of abuse is put front and center in the U.S. It’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Georgia Northwestern helped give it a voice on Wednesday. A specialist in the field spoke to several dozen GNTC students, faculty, and staff on the Walker County Campus in Rock Spring, Georgia Wednesday.
Here in Northwest Georgia, The Family Crisis Center of LaFayette, Georgia provides men, women, and children with services to protect themselves and their loved ones when they face a domestic violence situation. “So many don’t even know they are in an abusive relationship,” said Family Crisis Center representative Becky Daniel. Researchers of domestic violence will tell you that the tell-tale signs are there. “Victims may believe they can handle it, though. Often, they feel that others just misunderstand the situation and that they are the only ones who can handle it and be able to help the other person,” added Daniel. “What often happens, though, is that person will isolate their partner from their friends and their family. Then, when you decide it’s time to do something, you may do nothing because you aren’t sure what you are able to do.”
Four in five cases of domestic violence are against women. In half of the homes in which spousal abuse has taken place, children are also victims of abuse. “For those who aren’t sure they should report abuse, often, the factor that helps them make a decision to seek help is that the victim has children living in the same home,” said Daniel.
Each year, the Family Crisis Center fields more than 2,000 calls on its 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week hotline. The center helps victims do everything from file restraining orders to housing, clothing, and feeding those now without a home due to domestic violence. If you would like to learn more about domestic violence or speak with the Family Crisis Center, you can call the center at 706.375.7630. You may also call toll-free at 800.334.2836.
Throughout the year, GNTC offers students, faculty, and staff free counseling on many topics both on and off-campus. For more information about the college, visit them at GNTC.edu or contact a Student Help Center on any one of our six campus locations at 866-983-4682 (GNTC). Spring Semester classes begin this January on all six campuses, as well as online.
Currently, GNTC offers more than 200 programs to nearly 6,000 students on-campus and online. GNTC has offered programs across the region for more than 50 years. Georgia Northwestern Technical College provides quality workforce education to the citizens of Northwest Georgia. Students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree, diploma, or a certificate in business, health, industrial, or public service career paths. This past year, 14,151 people benefited from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs. With an annual credit enrollment of 7,956 students, GNTC is the largest college in Northwest Georgia. GNTC has an additional enrollment of 6,195 people through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training, and Georgia Quick Start. For information online, visit the college's website, as well as on GNTC’s Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google+, WordPress, and YouTube channels. GNTC is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia and an Equal Opportunity Institution.
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Don Foley
Assistant Director, Marketing and PR
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