Stay Informed

Reflecting on Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Changing Perspective

Fresno County has some of the highest reported rates of domestic violence in the State of California and only 12% of those involved in domestic violence cases with law enforcement are reportedly married. The way we have been viewing it, primarily as affecting older, married couples, is all wrong.

What we know as Intimate Partner Violence is not new. Domestic violence is rooted in all religions and cultures where women were considered subservient to men. Past demeaning terms such as “Battered Women” or “Battered Wives”, which inadvertently OR sometimes intentionally puts the identity and blame on the victim or survivor, instead of an intentional effort to hold the aggressor accountable for committing a crime, have long identified the problem as a CIS gender, heterosexual issue where a married man physically assaults his wife. Often times this was attributed to the husband's alcoholism, financial stress or that he was just a "mean/tough husband". In other cases, abuse was deemed a result of the wife’s inability to serve, respect or obey the desires or expectations of the husband.

Galvanized in part by the wider Women’s Liberation Movement — and the fact that domestic violence was still not taken seriously by the justice system — the Battered Women’s Movement began in earnest in the early 1970s, led by feminist activists and survivors. At that same time, in our own community, a coalition or activists and family law attorneys were initiating their own concern and desire to make both changes in the system and provide needed supports for survivors. Then, in 1978, Marjaree Mason, a beautiful, intelligent and service-driven African American woman was tragically killed by a former boyfriend, who happened to also be a member of law enforcement. That horrific event propelled the Fresno community on a path to provide needed supports to survivors. Sadly, it wasn’t until 1994, only 30 years ago, that the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was founded.

Fast forward to 2024, marriage rates have decreased. According to data reported by local law enforcement, from January 2023-June 2024, only 12% of the survivors who engaged with law enforcement said that they were married (25% were unknown) and 45% identified as either dating or formerly dating. Twenty-three percent of survivors (not perpetrators) identified as male. The most terrifying statistic: 13% of survivors are between the ages of 13 - 25. I personally believe that number is low because I don’t believe most teens feel like they should reach out to law enforcement for relationship issues. Why is this important? As a community, with the highest reported rates of domestic violence BY FAR, it is imperative that we identify what intimate partner violence looks like and tackle it before the situation turns severe, such as homicide or long-term legal, social service and mental and physical health dependence.

Domestic violence will only end when each of us can look in the mirror and reflect on how we respond to conflict in our own relationships. It takes each of us being brave to address our behaviors and hold people, even family members, accountable for behaviors that are harmful. Power and control have no place in loving relationships.

In order to truly break generational cycles of abuse, our community and nation needs to increase our investment in children who had been exposed to violence and abuse in the home. We need to invest in critical interventions that will stop abuse from escalating and provide supports to address long-term recovery. In December of this year, the Marjaree Mason Center will complete construction of the remodel of a new facility, The Isnardi Foundation Building, which will double our capacity to provide this community support. With a dedicated 24/7 crisis drop in center, children's service, mental health rooms, group therapy rooms, a clinic, and large 100+ seat training space, the Marjaree Mason Center is fulfilling a life-long dream to enhance our capacity to serve, improve the physical and emotional safety of our facilities and increase accessibility by providing a true one-stop shop. This move is an intentional investment in prevention and early intervention.

From November 16 - December 1, the Isnardi Foundation, for which the new building will be named, has committed to matching up to $1 million donated to help us fully fund this transition.

Domestic violence will only rise to a level that a community is willing to accept, and it is projects like these are a testament to what a community will stand for. When this is over, Fresno County will have a $21 million facility solely focused on serving people affected by domestic violence and those who were a part of this project can say, “Wow! We did that – both for survivors today and for future generations.” Disrupting generational cycles of abuse will have positive ripple effects on families and communities.