Domestic violence: the lessons of nine lives in two weeks

by Sybil Hebb, OregonLive.com

On Nov. 5, Tameka Medina and her 4-year-old son were found shot to death in the home they once shared with Ceantwaun Barr. Police believe that Barr shot Medina and their son before killing himself.

Five days later, Teresa Beiser was shot and killed by her recently estranged husband at the Tualatin drug testing lab where she worked. Two of Teresa’s co-workers were also injured. Afterward, Robert Beiser killed himself, leaving the couple’s two children orphaned.

And a day later, we learned that Varsha Suthar, Mukesh Suthar and their 9-year-old son were found shot to death in their home in an apparent murder-suicide.

And before we could catch our breath, another violent attempted murder, and a suicide, occurred in Coos County.

Nine lives lost in less than two weeks — all related to domestic violence.

Could anything have been done to prevent these tragic deaths? We may never know the answer to that question, but the tragedies highlight the critical need to fully fund Oregon’s emergency shelter and specialized victim advocacy services.

Domestic and sexual violence are widespread problems throughout Oregon. The statistics are staggering: 18 to 27 Oregonians are killed each year as a result of domestic violence; one in 10 Oregon women has been physically or sexually assaulted in the last five years; more than one third of domestic violence assaults are witnessed by children; and one in six Oregon women has survived forcible rape in her lifetime.

Oregon has a strong network of domestic and sexual violence programs that help victims find safety and rebuild their lives, and the lives of their children. These programs provide essential services that are often life-saving. Victims who access these services are 60 percent less likely than are other victims to be assaulted again in the next year.

Unfortunately, Oregon’s emergency shelter and specialized advocacy services are funded at about half of what’s needed to provide core safety. And this can have severe implications.

Leaving a violent relationship is an extraordinarily dangerous point in time for a victim. But it’s also the time when victims may not be able to get help. In 2008, domestic violence programs were unable to accommodate more than 19,000 requests for emergency shelter by victims in Oregon; 48 percent of those victims had children with them. At current funding levels, shelter workers in Multnomah County have sometimes been forced to advise victims to consider riding a MAX train all night or to sleep at the airport. In rural areas, sleeping in a car or out in the woods is sometimes a victim’s only alternative.

As the recent tragic news illustrates, domestic violence also impacts the workplace. In 2000, homicide was the second leading cause of women’s death on the job. Adopting strategies that ensure the safety of victims and their co-workers at the workplace is vital.

Agencies and businesses throughout Oregon are implementing workplace-violence policies and providing training for managers and employees on domestic in the workplace. For example, in 2007, Gov. Ted Kulongoski required all state agencies to implement such policies, and since then nearly 5,000 state managers and human resources employees have been trained. These efforts can serve as important models for all Oregon employers.

But more work remains. Victims must have access to help when they need it most. As this budget crisis persists, we must not lose track of our responsibility to provide basic safety services for vulnerable victims, to ensure safety at home and at work.