This month is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so the students in Paige Ridge’s law enforcement classes have begun learning more about the issue. Law II students have distributed flyers around the school that show students the differences in healthy and unhealthy relationships and there is a display outside of the classroom demonstrating the “red flags” of an abusive relationship.
“In my previous career I dealt with many adult abusers and victims and the cycle of violence is a difficult one to break,” Ridge said. “I want our students to know now how to recognize and avoid harmful people in their lives so that they do not deal with the pain of violence later.”
The classes went over domestic violence in a lesson in order to understand what domestic violence looks like, the rate at which it happens daily, the warning signs, and much more. The pandemic has increased the number of domestic violence happenings all over the world.
“With our generation, it is our job to step up and stop the spread of domestic violence and I feel our generation could definitely make a change,” junior Cody Davis said. “It is not gonna happen overnight, and it is gonna take everyone’s help and doing what is right to stop it.”
A national Domestic Violence Awareness Month brings the opportunity to bring attention to this secret of society that affects as many people as it does. Multiple news articles and updates this month in the community have shown victims are being helped by the East Texas Crisis Center in Tyler.
“I think it could cause individuals to raise an eyebrow at their own relationships or others if they stop to look at the signs,” senior Madison Beaird said. “Listen to victims and survivors and do research, because there is more than just physical or sexual abuse and it can affect anyone regardless of age, sex or orientation.”
