On Oct. 28, the Women in Learning and Leadership club organized a panel to raise awareness about domestic violence. The event titled, “Every1 Knows Some1” was hosted by professor of English, and club adviser, Roseanne Alvarez with students from the club presenting.
Panelists asked their guests Crystal Watson and Samantha Puccini, both from the nonprofit organization 180 Turning Lives Around, questions to raise awareness about domestic violence.
180 Turning Lives Around provides 24/7 confidential hotlines for victims to call, ask questions, and they also provide short-, and long-term housing for survivors. There is a safe house providing a 30-day stay in a confidential location and is a safe place for all individuals and their families and pets as well. At 180 Turning Lives Around, there are also programs providing support for drug/alcohol addictions and childhood sexual abuse victims.
They also provide youth-centered services, where calls are also anonymous and confidential. They provide a free phone and text hotline for children and adolescents with their concerns. The hotline serves as a support for youths experiencing bullying, concerns about sex or sexuality, substance abuse, mental health, relationships or peer and family related issues.
Jackie Romano, an English student at Brookdale, centered her research around the challenge trauma bonding presents to survivors. Romano defines trauma bonding as “Survival instinct of dependency on a caregiver in childhood transfers to whoever takes on that caregiving role in adulthood, in this case, that is the abuser.”
Romano described the pattern of abuse ranging from love-bombing, lying about the toxicity of a relationship to defending the abuser and making exceptions for the abusive behavior.
Kimberly Lopez, an honors psychology student at Brookdale, centered her research around the implication social media, the internet and technology have on domestic violence. Lopez provides examples of the ways victims are abused online, “Name calling, cyberstalking, revenge porn, doxing, threats of physical violence and threats of sexual violence.”
Lily Connor, an honors political science major, focused on the policymaking, and law of domestic violence, and the advocacy of survivor’s rights. Connor explained how the victim can be persuaded into dropping charging leading to the trivialization of their struggles. Connor described the progress of our legal system from the 1960s to today. In the 1960s, Connor details how police did not intervene when there was domestic violence in the home.
Zafira Demiri, an English major, chose to focus on the impact of domestic violence on the LGBTQ+ community, and the problem of underrepresentation. Demiri provided the statistic that heterosexual and LGBTQ+ couples experience domestic violence at the same rate, 1 in 4. They also explained how domestic violence can occur differently within LGBTQ+ partnerships, threatening to out the victim to their family who does not know, feeling like they will have nobody if their partner leaves them after outing them to unaccepting family.
Ana Marziano, a biology major, focused on the impacts of domestic violence on children and the effects of living around domestic violence. Marziano detailed how children living with domestic violence can present as bullies or be the subject of bullying. She also described how these children can feel separation anxiety, self-blame, aggressive behavior, substance abuse and early sexual activity. Marziano provides information on generational trauma, which is transferred through DNA. More than 15 million children live in homes where domestic violence has happened at least once.
Amanda Zelevansky, president of WILL and an honors business administration major, spoke about the importance of allyship and supporting survivors. Zelevansky provided information on how to give proper allyship to someone who may not be able to reach out due to the overprotective nature of their abuser. She described how not all victims will want to talk about their abuse, but it is important to be there for them, and to be nonjudgmental.
Samantha Muccini works with 180 Turning Lives Around and is the program coordinator of the program Amanda’s Easel, which is a creative art therapy program for children 4 to14 years old, where the non-offending parent also attends the program to heal from this trauma as a family.
The program also provided play therapy, art therapy, drama therapy and music therapy for the children. The parents participate in their art or music therapy group to identify how the abuse has affected their parenting. The Hands of Hope exhibit from Amanda’s Easel, is currently in the Paramount Lounge within the Student Life Center, where you can write messages for survivors, and the canvas will be traveling all throughout Monmouth County and beyond to provide hope for survivors.
To contact 180 Turning Lives Around
24/7 hotline: (888) 843-9262
For Sexual Violence: (888) 264- 7273
2NDFLOOR Youth Helpline: (888) 222-2228.