Children’s Art Illustrates Family Trauma

Their narratives and artwork tell of the anger, fear and confusion they experienced growing up with domestic violence.

“This is the bloody riverboat of death and it kills people,” wrote one 9-year-old boy. “I want my stepdad to be on the boat. He’s mean to me.”

Those words are part of the traveling SafeJourney Children’s Art Project, “Domestic Violence Through the Eyes of a Child,” now on exhibit in Camarillo at City National Bank on Las Posas Road.

“It really makes the public aware of domestic violence from the child’s point of view,” said Chris Rutter, director of community resources at Interface Children Family Services. “It’s a whole different way of looking at it, and people become much more aware when they realize the child’s life has been traumatized in such a dramatic way.”

Through SafeJourney children’s support groups, youngsters learn about the cycle of violence and how to protect themselves while their parents are fighting, Rutter said. It’s a safe, creative method for them to release their fears and begin to heal the wounds that domestic violence causes.

“Children frequently are not able to verbalize their feelings, but when they’re told to draw . . . they’re much more able to depict their feelings and then can talk about what each figure represents and what they feel angry or sad about.”

The ongoing children’s groups are run in conjunction with support groups held weekly throughout Ventura County for women who have experienced domestic violence.

“The children have frequently been as equally traumatized as the women, and often have been physically and emotionally abused,” Rutter said.

More than 120 children have participated in the groups, which began 1 1/2 years ago. They are encouraged to work out their feelings about domestic violence through puppets, games, artwork and discussions with a therapist while their mothers are in their own groups.

After viewing the artwork, “a lot of people say it makes them sad and that it’s a shame they have a reason to express themselves that way,” said Rosanna Gomez, a teller at City National Bank. The display will remain on exhibit there until Friday, when it moves to the Ventura branch on Telephone Road.

On Aug. 1, the exhibit will move to Santa Barbara Bank and Trust in Ventura until Nov. 1, when it will be on display at the Santa Paula Library on North 8th Street. It will then return to Camarillo in December at the Camarillo Premium Outlet Center.

To volunteer or contribute to Interface Children Family Services, call 485-6114. To get more information about support groups or shelter services, call (800) 339-9597.