‘Faces of Fear’ Puts Spotlight on Ending Domestic Abuse

There’s an ebb and flow to issues such as AIDS, drug abuse, health care and education. They take turns in the national spotlight, especially if there’s a scandalous story to feed the buzz. But the issues don’t go away or stop affecting countless lives just because attention shifts.

So Sunday’s “Domestic Violence: Faces of Fear,” produced by NJN-The New Jersey Channel, may seem like old news--unless it’s happening to you or someone you know, perhaps for the first time. In that case, this informative, frank hour on KCET-TV Channel 28, hosted by Diane Sawyer, could be a lifesaver.

In addition, it urgently pushes for the un-closeting of violence in the home--assault is assault, murder is murder, wherever it occurs, and silence, on the part of victims, friends, relatives and authorities, is an abuser’s best friend.

Representatives of an impressive and varied array of advocacy groups--law enforcement officials, judges and lawyers, medical and mental health physicians, social workers, grass-roots programs and victims--make it clear that domestic violence is an issue in virtually every community, regardless of socioeconomic status or ethnic background.

Such violence is not only bad for families but also for society and for the bottom line as well, costing businesses about $3 billion to $5 billion in reduced productivity a year.

Some are getting the message. Businesses in six Connecticut towns post “Safe Haven” stickers in their windows to alert victims that they will be protected and can make a free phone call for help. A few corporations, such as Polaroid, have instituted programs to protect their own employees and to help them leave abusive relationships. In San Diego, cooperation between police, the courts and social workers has reduced domestic homicides by 60%.

The program urges anyone who needs help to call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline, (800) 799-SAFE.

* “Domestic Violence: Faces of Fear” airs at 4 p.m. Sunday on KCET-TV Channel 28.