http://vimeo.com/35938957

“I sign this proclamation today with the hope that it will make a difference. There is no room for any type of violence in Maine and I will do everything I can to stop the abuse,” said the Governor. “Violence awareness advocacy groups like the Family Violence Project are an intricate part of helping raise awareness and supporting victims of violence and I commend these organizations that are truly making a difference.”

The Governor invites Mainers to join violence awareness advocates in helping to raise awareness on this important issue by encouraging statewide youth, families, schools, law enforcement communities, government agencies, elected officials, civic organizations and other interested groups to show support for the organizations and individuals who provide critical advocacy and services and assistance to victims.

The Proclamation is as follows:

WHEREAS, the youth of Maine are this State’s most precious resource and greatest hope for the future, and ensuring their safety, well-being, positive development and growth into healthy citizens is a priority and responsibility we all share;

WHEREAS, the transitional adolescent years present new challenges and choices for teens as they experience dating relationships for the first time;

WHEREAS, teen dating violence, including physical, verbal and emotional abuse, sexual assault, and harassment via texting, email or “instant messaging” is a reality for many teenagers in Maine and it is a reality of which many parents and caregivers are unaware;

WHEREAS, studies also indicate that effects of violent relationships can be serious and put victims at higher risk for substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior, suicide and adult re-victimization; and

WHEREAS, both Houses of the U.S. Congress have declared February as “National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month,”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, PAUL R. LEPAGE, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim the month of February, 2012 to be  TEEN DATING VIOLENCE AWARENESS & PREVENTION MONTH throughout the State of Maine, and urge all citizens to recognize this observance.

Current pending legislation would institute evidenced-based, validated risk assessment tools to help determine who is most dangerous and focus the use of scarce resources.  Bills are in place to change the Bail code to manage high risk offenders more effectively, to introduce strangulation into the Maine Criminal Code, improve stalking response and improve Department of Corrections notification processes to victims.

Maine people understand the awful reality of domestic violence homicide, for victims, their families and the communities they lived in. Too many victims have died this year, too many survivors and their children continue to live in fear.   A shared commitment to change things for the better has emerged from these tragedies, engaging women and men throughout Maine.

Julia Colpitts, MCEDV director states:  “We welcome Governor LePage to the community of committed advocates who have worked over decades to bring this issue into public awareness—many like him who have emerged from abuse strengthened by their resolve to end family violence in the next generation”.

Ellen Pence (1948-2012) was a scholar and a social activist. She co-founded the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, an inter-agency collaboration model used in all 50 states in the U.S. and more than 17 countries.  A leader in both the battered women’s movement and the emerging field of institutional ethnography, she was the recipient of numerous awards including the 2008 Society for the Study of Social Problems Dorothy E. Smith Scholar Activist Award for significant contributions in a career of activist research.

Known for her generosity, quick wit and sense of humor, Ellen learned from battered women and has worked with and trained thousands of professionals in the domestic violence field. Her work with men who batter is the basis of DAIP’s Creating a Process of Change for Men Who Batter.

Stalking is about to get a lot of attention in Maine. The Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (MCEDV) and the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MECASA) are promoting stalking awareness in January, National Stalking Awareness Month. Stalking impacts at least 1 in 10 Mainers.[1]

A Maine-based 2011 crime victimization study found that stalking has one of the highest victimization rates of crimes in Maine.[2] Additionally, not only are stalking victims more likely to be the victims of other crimes, but reporting to law enforcement has dropped significantly in the last five years despite an increase in incidents.[3]

Stalking, a crime in Maine and all other states in the U.S., is often hard to recognize and many victims have difficulty coming forward. “However,” says Jill Barkley of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, “the more Mainers know about stalking, the more easily they can recognize it and potentially help victims.”

Cara Courchesne of MECASA agrees. “Educating and increasing awareness in Maine communities about what stalking is, and what action to take if they think someone they know may be a victim of stalking, is one of the best ways to address concerns related to stalking.”

Barkley and Courchesne both note that awareness about stalking as a crime, as well as the impact on victims, may help increase reporting. “Last year, during Stalking Awareness Month, we had victims call and say that they had seen an article or a report on the news about stalking and it helped them realize what they were experiencing was in fact stalking. They were able to come forward and get help,” says Courchesne.

“Such awareness is important,” says Barkley, “especially because stalking is one of the most significant risk factors for femicide (homicide of women) in abusive relationships.[4]Keeping our communities educated and aware of stalking helps address the problem and give people a place from which to come forward.” Adds Julie Colpitts, Executive Director of MCEDV, “Cyberstalking, when a stalker uses technology to harass and stalk, is an increasingly common element of stalking behaviors, particularly among young people.”

If you or someone you know has experienced stalking, member agencies from both the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence and the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault are available to help. To reach the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence’s statewide helpline, call 1.866.83.4HELP or TTY 1.800.437.1220. To reach the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault’s crisis and support line, call 1.800.871.7741 or TTY 1.888.458.5599. Both helplines are free and confidential.

www.StalkingAwarenessMonth.org  provides additional resources.

Ronald Woodward, Petrona Construction

Daniel Stockford, Brann and Isaacson

George Samaras, Portland Mattress Makers

June Parent, Camden National Bank

Jeff McCormick, Gerard’s Pizza

Ralph Gabarro, Mayo Regional Hospital

Bill Miller, Miller Drug

Kevin Tesseo, Darling’s Auto Mall

Amy Knightingale and Juanita Pelletier, Caribou Empire Beauty School

Dan Osgood, Dan Osgood Productions

http://mcedv.org/services/maine-domestic-violence-programs