Orange County Voices : Commentary on Domestic Violence : Any Abuse, Even Committed in Private, Is a Public Concern : These criminal acts are not confined to any single group. A task force is coordinating efforts to combat them.

It is called domestic violence. In actuality it is murder, mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon or a variety of criminal acts ranging from a slap to the face to setting a person on fire. It is a crime predominantly committed by men against women, although the opposite may occasionally occur.

In Orange County last year, thousands of calls were received by shelters, police or the Domestic Violence Assistance Program seeking advice about temporary restraining orders, referrals to shelters, counseling or other information.

It is a crime that almost always escalates when ignored. What starts as a push against a wall frequently ends in a stabbing or shooting. In short, the only thing domestic about it is that it is committed most often in a home against a wife or girlfriend.

For years domestic violence was virtually ignored by society. In many states it wasn’t even a crime. Under English law in the 19th Century, a woman was property and a man was permitted to beat his wife so long as he didn’t use a stick larger than the circumference of his thumb. Those who occasionally refer to “a rule of thumb” are often ignorant of its deplorable origin.

One thing is clear. Those who inflict this violence are committing criminal acts, and if their conduct is dealt with seriously at an early stage it can be stopped.

In Orange County, a myriad of different agencies deals with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. Many of these agencies work independently of each other with no overall attempt at coordination. Thus, a court may issue a temporary restraining order without any notification to the district attorney’s office that the conduct appeared to be felonious ad deserving of prosecution.

Conduct that should be prosecuted is frequently dropped by the court system because of a lack of proof when the victim changes her mind about pressing charges.

Emergency room physicians may treat a woman without realizing she was the victim of a violent crime. Thus, a referral to counseling or a place of safety is not made. The victim frequently returns home to another beating.

Many of the individuals and agencies dealing with the problem are focused on the specific service that they have to offer. The lack of coordination isn’t anyone’s fault. We simply had not addressed the problem.

After attending a nationwide conference on domestic violence in March, I decided to attempt to improve communication among all of the groups and individuals who assist domestic violence victims or deal with offenders.

The initial response to the invitation to join an Orange County Domestic Violence Prevention Task Force was overwhelming. More than 35 individuals representing shelters, police departments, the courts, Victim Witness, mediation, probation, the Human Relations Commission, the district attorney, the public defender, the medical community, the Orange County Bar Assn., minority organizations, the Orange County marshal, a congressional aide and the public at large came together to begin a process of organization designed to coordinate our actions.

Long-range and short-range goals have been identified, including: better education for judges and physicians; improving access for issuance of temporary restraining orders, and preserving evidence for use by prosecutors when victims decline to testify. It is hoped that the task force will evolve into a permanent body that will continually monitor both victim and offender programs, coordinate actions between agencies and bring about a higher level of awareness in the community as to the nature of this crime.

Domestice violence is not confined to any single economic or ethnic group. Its perpetrators are doctors, lawyers, judges, architects, as well as mechanics, day laborers and the unemployed. It frequently occurs in the presence of children. Our elderly population is victimized by crimes that often go unreported.

Domestic violence is generational in that children raised in violent homes frequently perpetrate violence when they become adults. It is one of the few crimes in which victims often blame themselves rather than the offender. It is a problem pervasive in every segment of our society.

It is time for all of us to address this most preventable type of violence in our community. Our task force intends to do just that.