Raphael House Executive Director Emmy Ritter talks about how to recognize domestic violence, April 6, 2024 (KOIN)
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — With a recent spike in incidents stemming from domestic violence, local shelters are offering ways for survivors to recognize the signs and resources available.
Raphael House in Portland is an organization that has been supporting victims of domestic violence since 1977 by providing a safety net through advocacy, education, and community support.
Domestic violence, also known as intimate partner violence, defined by the United States Department of Justice As a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that one partner uses to gain or maintain power over another intimate partner. Abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, or other types of acts or threats that negatively impact another person within an intimate partnership.
“Domestic violence is an act of control,” says Emmy Ritter, executive director of Raphael House. “So it's coercion, intimidation, violence, emotional abuse. And in over 90 percent of intimate partner violence situations, it's also economic abuse.”
When asked how one can recognize potential signs of domestic violence from the outside, Ritter told KOIN 6 News there is a complete lack of confidence in overt physical or emotional abuse that can occur behind closed doors. He said that it is not limited to.
“It doesn’t seem like we’re locking them up in the basement,” she said. “It seems to be keeping them away from their friends and family and making it inconvenient for those friends and family to get in touch with them as well. So isolation is a very early sign.”
Ritter added that another sign that someone may be constantly doubting themselves is due to microaggressions stemming from emotional abuse.
As for how the public can help victims of domestic violence, Ritter said Raphael House and similar organizations can donate, volunteer, and “help all of us protect our communities together.” He pointed out that the company relies on “the recognition that the workers are working hard.”
If you or someone you know needs help, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
You can also click here Click here for information about the various regional and national resources offered by Rafael House.
