'End the Violence'

By DEVIN WEEKS

Staff Writer

A new documentary is shining light on domestic violence in the Inland Northwest.

The "End the Violence" film aired on local TV stations Monday, launching the Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Coalition's End the Violence campaign. 

"I think they did wonderful. It's something that we don't often talk about," Chauntelle Lieske, program director of Safe Passage Violence Prevention Center in Coeur d'Alene, said Tuesday.

"I love the campaign and letting the community know it's not one entity that's going to end domestic violence," she said. "It takes all of us."

The video features law enforcement officers, victim advocates, academics, health professionals and survivors as they provide information, share first-hand accounts and discuss the overreaching impacts of domestic and family violence.

"I like that they shed light on domestic violence and homelessness," Lieske said. "It's one of the top reasons women and children are homeless."

Spokane County has the highest domestic violence incidents in the state of Washington. Although the video focuses on Spokane, "this issue isn't isolated to Spokane," Lieske said.

"In Kootenai County, we also have one of the highest rates in Idaho," she said.

Domestic violence and family violence don't need to be physical to be harmful. Incidents many times include verbal abuse, financial control, abusers using children and pets to dominate the other person, psychological abuse and other forms of making a person feel unsafe.

Severe violence happens often as well. A woman in the video shared the gut-wrenching story of how her ex-boyfriend, recently released from incarceration, surprise attacked her and beat her within inches of her life.

According to information on the Idaho State Police website, Idaho experienced 17,458 violent offenses in 2017, with 1,940 of them happening in Kootenai County.

But Safe Passage and other agencies are working to help North Idaho survivors and let them know they're not alone.

"We’re pretty unique here. We have advocates in our middle schools and high schools and health classes talking to our students about healthy relationships," she said. "That's one of the things that we're super proud of at Safe Passage. The level of prevention efforts that we have is pretty incredible."

Safe Passage is a nonprofit committed to helping survivors of domestic and sexual violence. It offers counseling, court advocacy and a safe shelter. Services are free and confidential.

The Safe Passage 24-hour hotline is 208-664-9303. If it's an emergency, call 911.

Go to www.endtheviolencespokane.org to watch the documentary.