Published: November 04, 2009 10:24 pm      

AG, Walmart continue domestic violence project

OKLAHOMA CITY — Domestic Violence Awareness Month has drawn to a close, but Attorney General Drew Edmondson wants victims to know that help is available every month of the year.

To help publicize this important message, the attorney general and retailer Walmart are announcing the continuation of their successful “End the Silence — End the Violence” campaign.

With the aim of ending domestic abuse, the campaign is designed to help abuse victims locate shelters and domestic violence service programs in their area.

To help spread the word about these essential services, Walmart has placed specially-designed informational posters in its women’s dressing rooms and bathrooms so victims can privately access the information out of sight of their abuser. The posters include tear-off resource cards, in English and Spanish, with contact information for the Oklahoma Safeline.

Statistics from the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board show 60 people have died in domestic violence-related crimes this year in Oklahoma. According to the attorney general’s victim services unit, Safeline, a toll-free hotline that serves as a statewide referral source for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, averages almost 100 calls each month, and about 99 percent of the domestic violence victims who seek assistance from Oklahoma service providers are women or children.

“This is why we focused on women-only areas of the stores,” Edmondson said. “In some cases male abusers physically control their female victims to the point that she is rarely out of the house without him. The posters are located in areas where a woman can access the information without her abuser’s knowledge.”

In addition to placing the posters in their stores, Walmart is again providing all funding for the project.

After a pilot project was launched two years ago in 10 Walmart stores, Safeline (1-800-522-SAFE) experienced a 39.4-percent increase in the number of calls from victims seeking assistance. Encouraged by this success, the project was expanded to each of the company’s Oklahoma Supercenter and discount stores.