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Prevention

SAFE’s Prevention team focuses on educating the community, working with abusers and enlightening youth and parents on the importance of rape prevention, domestic violence and ending the cycle of abuse in homes.

SAFE Programs

1. Abuse Prevention
Abuse Prevention Education attempts to reach many populations both through intervention and prevention. The Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP) is an opportunity for men and women to work with a trained facilitator in a 26 week program to understand their behaviors. This is not anger management. This is about the issues of power and control and is a major piece in the efforts to break the cycle of abuse for the victims of domestic violence. The women’s DVIP support group meets separately and discusses the same issues as well as their own behavioral responses.

2. Rape Prevention Education
Rape Prevention Education is dedicated to the prevention of rape and sexual violence in our community. The first year, a community assessment was performed with input from a community wide task force. In the second year, intervention strategies were initiated based on results of the assessment. Currently, Rape Prevention Education (RPE) is being implemented with every 6th grade (290) and every 9th grade (350) student in our county. SAFE’s RPE Coordinator facilitates weekly RPE programs during Health and Physical Education classes for both Middle and High School Students. SAFE’s evidence-based prevention programs are designed to raise awareness of what constitutes healthy relationships, give students an opportunity to build and strengthen coping skills, and practice positive decision making skills. These goals are met through direct instruction and fun, interactive exercises throughout the class. SAFE’s RPE programming has been extremely successful in our county and that success is directly related to the School System’s continued support and ownership of the role of prevention programs in the students overall educational experience.

3. Community Outreach
The goal of Community Outreach is to create a presence in the community so that we are successful in getting information into the hands of those who may need it. This includes having materials accessible in our own two stores so that victims who may not be able to walk in the doors of our office can make contact with us there. Our Outreach efforts also include partnering with other agencies to provide services and meet needs. Additional pieces include radio spots, print, social media, special events and talks. We aim to inform people about SAFE and our services, such as a bathroom stall door campaign directing sexual assault victims to SAFE for help.

4. Community Education
SAFE staff are available to attend civic, church, neighborhood or other meetings to discuss the agency and the issues of domestic and sexual abuse. Domestic and sexual abuse effect us all. Education and empowerment are the most valuable tools we have. Please invite us to come to your community to dispel myths and fill each of us with knowledge and power. We would be happy to come to you but feel free to come to us. Either way SAFE needs you on our side!

5. Children’s Program
Rather than simply provide childcare, SAFE employees were trained in the Positive Action curriculum. The series focuses on positive thoughts and actions leading to positive feelings about themselves. Children at Stacey’s House work through the program, which is age specific, with SAFE staff and volunteers covering topics including health, esteem, consequences, etc. All staff were trained in order to create a culture of Positive Action to ensure consistency when working with these innocent victims.

Domestic Violence Intervention Prevention Program

The Domestic Violence Intervention Prevention Program is an opportunity for men and women to work with a trained facilitator in a 26 week program to understand their behaviors. DVIP is not anger management, rather, a program about the issues of power and control and is a major piece in the efforts to break the cycle of abuse for the victims of domestic violence. DVIP support groups meet separately, based on gender, to discusses the same issues as well as their own behavioral responses.

Education

SAFE is dedicated to educating the public about domestic and sexual abuse. The prevalence of domestic and sexual abuse in our community is not easy to admit. Although the violence does not represent the majority of the people, it is here and in staggering numbers. If you would like SAFE to talk to your staff, group, organization, church or other please give us a call 828-885-7233. We appreciate the opportunity to speak and share what can be done to stop the cycle of abuse.

Domestic Abuse Education

The definition of domestic violence is when two people get into an intimate relationship and one person uses a pattern of coercion and control against the other person during the relationship and/or after the relationship has terminated. It often includes physical, sexual, emotional, or economic abuse.

There are many parts to the cycle of abuse. As we look at the components in the abuse cycle we can see that control is a major part of all the phases. Control comes in many forms; manipulation, bribery, emotional abuse, threats, misleading kindness, children, and empty promises.

Some of the Warning Signs of Abusive Relationships...

• Your partner threatens or hurts you or your children

• You are afraid to disagree

• You must justify everything you do

• Your partner makes all the decisions

• You are forced to avoid family and friends

• Your partner threatens suicide if you leave

• Your partner threatens family pets to control you

Sexual Abuse Education

Any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, unwanted sexual comments or advances, acts to traffic, or otherwise directed, against a person’s sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting, including but not limited to home and work is considered sexual abuse.

Coercion can cover a whole spectrum of degrees of force. Apart from physical force, it may involve psychological intimidation, blackmail or other threats – for instance, the threat of physical harm, of being dismissed from a job or of not obtaining a job that is sought. It may also occur when the person aggressed is unable to give consent – for instance, while drunk, drugged, asleep or mentally incapable of understanding the situation.