The story of one woman who escaped, and what help is out there for domestic violence victims
AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Locally, domestic violence may be a larger problem than you realize. In 2009, Family Support Services handled over 15-hundred domestic violence calls to their crisis hotline. Amarillo Police responded to over 25-hundred family violence cases.
Is there an option for victims of domestic violence? The answer is yes; Family Support Services offers a shelter, medical help, counseling for both the victim and children, legal advice, among many other critical support services for victims.
"We try to do everything we can to make them feel at home, to make them know that there are people here that really do care about them and what's going on in their lives, and get them the help they need," said Jackie Bolden, Family Support Services.
FSS officials say it's a hard decision to make, but they stress early action after the first signs of abuse. Unfortunately, they say that these situations only get worse.
"The reason they should try to get out of it is because domestic violence never de-escalates, it always escalates and it graduates. It's like a stair step process, it goes from one violent step to the next, and each step is more dangerous," said Bolden.
We spoke to one Amarillo woman who experienced abuse for 5 years, she agreed the violence gets worse no matter what promises are made. She shared how the abuse brought her close to losing her life.
"For me, I tried to commit suicide over it, and that's where it brought me. I felt like if this person that I devoted my life to did not love me enough to treat me right, then no body else would. There was nowhere to go, and it was after that I decided to get help," said Shelley Bates, Escaped Domestic Violence.
Bates added, that with kids involved, the decision to make the change came much easier than actually making the change, but once she leaped out on her own, her life changed for the better.
For more information on Family Support Services including the crisis hotline, check out the link below.
