Tribe hosts domestic violence seminar

In a dramatic speech on domestic violence at the Fallon Convention Center Thursday, Mike Coker, instructor for the Public Agency Training Council, asked, "Why do animals get more rights and protection than a human life? Is an animal's life more important than a human being's."

He said if Saddam Hussein can be dealt with harshly, so should convicted abusers.

The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe's Domestic Violence Program hosted a two-day training session on the topics of confronting family violence and stalking Wednesday and Thursday. Coker was a guest speaker. The event was attended by approximately 65 law enforcement personnel and other related agency personnel from the region.

"What made this training so good, is his (Coker) passion about the subject," said Sandra Hamilton of the Reno Sparks Indian Colony. "He kept everyone's attention the entire time."

Survivability increases 75 percent when the victim leaves, according to statistics from the lecture.

Developing an exit plan is essential for victims living in domestic violence, he said. An exit plan should include a family member or friend who can be easily contacted and knows the code word to call 911.

"Sometimes when a situation is erupting, the victim does not have the availability to dial 911," he said. "However, they can call a close friend or family member who know the code word and immediately dials 911 for them."

Examples he gave for code words were, "I'm out of detergent, I'll need to get some today."

Coker said the person should choose something that is not obvious to the abuser. A survival bag or suitcase should be included in a safety or exit plan, Coker said. (See break out box for details.)

Domestic violence advocates or intervention groups can assist victims in developing an exit plan.

According to statistics in the training materials, 3.5 million or 11 percent of all reported violent crimes between 1998 and 2002 were from family violence. Of those cases, 49 percent were reported against a spouse, 41 percent by and against other family members and 11 percent were children victimized by their parents.

"Family violence is now the No. 1 cause of injury to adult women, affecting more women than breast cancer, heart attacks or strokes," said Coker.

Female victims accounted for 73 percent of the violence against family, according to information from the presentation. Twenty-two percent of recorded murders in 2002 involved a family member. Fifty percent of offenders incarcerated in state prisons for spousal abuse killed their victims.

Viktoria Pearson can be contacted at vpearson@lahontanvalleynews.com