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Employers Leaving your problems at home is a general rule of the workplace, but a more supportive work environment could help prevent domestic problems from following employees to work, according to Nanci Kreidman, executive director of the Domestic Violence Clearinghouse.
urged to aid
abuse victims
The easiest place for abusers
to find their victims is at work,
says a UH criminologistBy Treena Shapiro
Star-BulletinTwo recent workplace homicides could serve as a wake-up call, she added. On Saturday, Cherry Ann Domingo was shot in the head by her ex-boyfriend in the Ala Moana Center parking lot shortly after she left work at Lenscrafters.
On Dec. 15, waitress Michelle Ramos was stabbed 17 times by her estranged boyfriend as she took a drink order at Keoki's Paradise Restaurant in Poipu, Kauai.
MORE
911: Excerpts and audio from calls.
"We have to help employers understand that violence at home can come to work," Kreidman said.
Abuse victims often feel uncomfortable confiding in their co-workers about potentially dangerous situations, but employers have a responsibility to create safe work environments for both the abuse victim and other employees, Kreidman said. Employers should be told if there is any possibility abusers could show up at the workplace so that precautions can be taken, such as changing the employee's work schedule or desk placement or making sure other employees know what the perpetrator looks like.
Abuse victims being murdered at work is a more common form of workplace violence than employees being attacked by co-workers, as in the case of the Xerox shootings, said University of Hawaii criminologist Meda Chesney-Lind. If a victim continues going to work, "abusive males know they can pretty much always find you then," she said.
Chesney-Lind noted that in both the Domingo and the Ramos cases, people tried to help during the physical assault but couldn't.
"We have to intervene at a different point," she said.
Chesney-Lind said the highest rate of domestic violence occurs among women between 16 and 24, and often the last chance to reach women vulnerable to domestic abuse is while they are still in high school.
Citing a study done at a Mid-western high school, Chesney-Lind said one-third of the students -- predominantly female -- reported they had experienced violence in a relationship.
The study also showed that 61 percent confided in friends about the abuse, 6 percent said they told family members, and 3 percent said they reported the violence to teachers, counselors or police.
"We have to tell students what to do when their friends tell them what's going on because that's who's going to hear about it -- other kids," Chesney-Lind said.
The trend in domestic violence since 1976 has been a decrease in spousal homicide rates, but an increase in the number of fatalities caused by boyfriends and girlfriends, Chesney-Lind said.
The decline in slayings between marriage partners could be attributed to the increased options for domestic abuse victims, according to Carol Lee, executive director of the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
From 1992 through 1997, there were 68 domestic violence homicides in Hawaii. In 1998, there were six, in 1999 there were 7, and last year there were 8.
"We've seen a decrease in the past two or three years, and nationally they report that since domestic violence services have been available, the number of perpetrators that have been murdered by their victims has decreased very significantly because women have other options rather than to think they have to kill him to escape," she said.
Kreidman gives some credit to the media for keeping people aware of the domestic violence problem.
"People want to know about it, so the press covers it, which motivates people to call and ask for help. It's like a ripple effect," she said. "Our programs are drowning in demand for help and that's good in the sense that people are seeing that they need help, and people are realizing that there are programs they can go to for help."
Even with increased awareness, however, domestic violence is still a serious problem.
"We're also going to experience fatalities," she said.
"It's just been a better-kept secret."
The following are excerpts from 911 calls reporting Saturday's shooting at Ala Moana Center: 911 callers saw
struggle in car911 AUDIO
Male caller: Hi, I saw a struggle in the back of Liberty House Ala Moana in a white van, and um, no license plate in the front, but um, somebody tried to help, I think there was a gun, and then there was a gunshot, too.
911: You think there was a gun?
Caller: I heard a gun shot. Well, yes, I heard a gunshot too and somebody tried to help them and ran to the car. And the next thing you know, the guy ran really fast away. ...
(some discussion deleted)
911: Hang on, just hang on, let me ask the questions. where is the car? -- male, female struggling.
Caller: Yes, female in the car, and she was screaming and beeping her horn and um ...
(some discussion deleted)
Caller: But they were struggling for a while and someone tried to help. So when they went over there, he tried to, he was just standing there to watch for a while, tried to help. And then, that person that tried to help, he ran away. And then that's when the, they (unclear) shot over there.
Female caller: Saw this guy holding the gun and on top of this woman. She looks like Filipino Hawaiian, I only saw the guy's back.
911: Connie, we have a gun involved, and the female caller did see a gun; was it a long gun or short gun, can you describe it? It's not a long one, like a handgun, and the male was holding it?
Caller: Yeah.
911: How many people were inside? Are you sure it was Liberty House Ala Moana, top level parking lot. on the Koko Head side, makai side, do you know what side?
Another male caller: It looked like a double barrel, I didn't look at that too close either. Brown color handle, maybe wood, and like chrome or steel-type stock barrel. This girl was in a white Mercedes. As I came (unclear) the corner I heard him say: 'Do you want me to kill you?' And then I heard the shotgun go off. I have no idea how the girl is. I kind of want to go back but ...
MP3 Audio Clip:
Quicktime | RealPlayer | MPEG-3 info
About 3,000 restraining orders are granted every year by Family Court, a number that's not unusual for a state with a population the size of Hawaii's, according to Nanci Kreidman, executive director of the Domestic Violence Clearinghouse. Restraining order
effective tool against
abuse, experts sayBy Janine Tully
Star-BulletinAnd while that number has held steady for the past three years, Kriedman said, there's still room for improvement.
To this end, Kriedman will be proposing a bill this legislative session that would eliminate the three-year time limit on protective orders and leave it to Family Court to decide the time period.
"Once the protective order expires, the (potential abuser) will be back on the phone or at the victim's workplace," she said.
A protective order is issued two weeks after a temporary restraining order has been filed with Family Court. It determines what an accused abuser can or cannot do in regard to visitation rights, custody and proximity to the victim.
Temporary restraining orders, or TROs, prevent the abuser from harassing or coming near the victim. In some cases they don't stop the abuser from committing a crime, but "for the vast majority of victims, TROs are very effective," Kriedman said.Meda Chesney-Lind, a criminologist at the University of Hawaii, said that although the recent Cherry Ann Domingo case seems to indicate that temporary restraining orders are ineffective, other research shows "even the process of getting a temporary restraining order is empowering to women."
The very act of getting a restraining order is the first step in naming a problem and admitting that one needs help, she said.
Kriedman said it was unfortunate that police weren't able to serve the temporary restraining order on Michell Udani before he killed his estranged girlfriend Domingo on Saturday in an Ala Moana Center parking lot.
"Maybe he would have turned in his firearm," she said.
She also wondered why police didn't arrest Udani after he reportedly dragged Domingo down the street on Jan. 9, while holding her in a headlock, after she left a nightclub with her girlfriends.
"The police probably had enough cause to effect an arrest," said Kriedman. "We have long shifted the burden of responsibility from the victim to law enforcement, and that's the way it should be."
Anyone who feels threatened or in danger can file for a temporary restraining order without having to show prior police intervention or witnesses, said Kriedman.
"You go to Family Court and describe in your petition the history of abuse, what you fear and why you need protection," she said. "The court relies on your word alone."
Once the petition has been filed, police have 90 days to serve it. The TRO, however, goes into effect immediately.
Kriedman recommended calling a domestic violence program to talk with a trained person who can help determine how dangerous the situation is and create a safety plan. People in abusive relationships don't always believe their partners will carry out their threats.
"To draw your own conclusions is too risky," she said. "Sometimes we recommend the women go to a shelter, depending on the degree of danger."
Here are some tips for victims of domestic abuse: What to do to protect yourself
24-hour domestic violence hot lines:
Oahu
Big Island
Other islands
Source: Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence
and the Domestic Violence Clearinghouse
