ST. GEORGE (UT)
Deseret News Hive via The Spectrum
February 12, 2018
By Lois M. Collins
Domestic violence has stepped to the forefront of national discussion with the resignations last week of two well-placed White House staffers amid allegations they abused their former spouses.
Both Rob Porter, who was serving as staff secretary, and speechwriter David Sorenson have denied the accusations.
The national conversation on domestic violence overlaps increased awareness of sexual harassment and assault, courtesy of the #MeToo and Time’s Up campaigns. Those rose from myriad allegations of sexual wrongdoing against prominent men in media, entertainment, politics and elsewhere. The #MeToo social media campaign has focused on how women are treated and some experts believe the openness engendered there is spilling over to benefit victims of domestic violence, most of whom are women.
“I can’t believe that it wouldn’t to some degree,” although no one’s studied if #MeToo has impacted victims of domestic abuse, said David Derezotes, University of Utah social work professor and director of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program.
To Kathleen Lopez, the shattered silence sounds beautiful.
“Calling it ‘time’s up’ is perfect. It’s time to have these conversations and make things better,” said Lopez, owner and CEO of Sentinel Sales & Management in American Fork. Three decades ago, she packed only a diaper bag and took her 8-month-old son to a battered-women’s shelter to escape domestic abuse.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.