Editorial: Stopping the cycle of domestic violence

One in three women will be abused by her mate at some point in her life.

A woman experiences relationship abuse every nine seconds.

Twenty percent of young women experience physical or sexual abuse before leaving high school.

Four women are murdered by their partners every day in the United States.

"It's a social ill of epidemic proportions," said Dr. Jay Schachne, founder and board chairman of the Katie Brown Educational Program.

The sickness must be treated before it even begins. Educating young students about relationship abuse and teaching them what constitutes healthy and unhealthy relationships can help break the cycle of violence and protect women against a pattern of abuse.

This is the goal of the nonprofit organization named for a Barrington, R.I., woman who was murdered by her boyfriend seven years ago. The organization uses education as its greatest weapon to permanently change behavior and stop relationship abuse before it even starts.

Many may not be aware of the program, but it is making an impact on area youth and deserves support throughout the region.

Beginning with fifth-graders, Katie Brown educators teach violence prevention in area schools, making students aware of relationship violence and informing them about what qualifies as an unhealthy relationship. The teachers show students, with age-appropriate lessons, how to recognize abusive relationships, communicate effectively about them and escape before they get worse.

More than 24,000 students in Fall River, Somerset, Westport, Dighton, Swansea and Rhode Island have been through the program, and the results show it should continue to expand. To that end, the state presented the Katie Brown program with a $150,000 grant Tuesday. "We must try to reach these kids before they become indentured in their lives," said District Attorney Sam Sutter. "We're dedicated and committed to reaching many more."

No one speaks of the program's success better than those it aims to serve.

Students who have been reached so far tell of a program that has turned their lives around and helped put them back in control of their own safety. Shontel Scheffer, a freshman at B.M.C. Durfee High School, told of the abuse she faced as a child at the hands of her aunt. The violent pattern continued, as she began taking her anger out on her young cousins without realizing the grief she was passing on.

"When I got into the program, I realized I was doing it to my cousins because they were her's. I realized it, and I stopped," Shontel said. "I learned that not telling anyone (about abuse) is just protecting them. They're just going to do it again."

Marc Bennet, a Durfee sophomore, said the Katie Brown program made him aware of the warning signs of an abusive relationship. "I will not allow abuse in my life because of this program," he said.

The Katie Brown Educational Program continues to expand to reach more students at an early age. Classroom teachers are now being instructed in the Katie Brown curriculum so they can teach it to their own classes. The curriculum, Schachne said, is frequently updated to keep it current to emerging trends, such as cyber-bullying, for example.

The program's successes are obvious, and it should continue to expand its scope throughout the entire region's school system. The earlier children are taught to recognize dangerous situations, the more likely they will be to survive them.

"The Katie Brown program really helped me," Scheffer said. "It changed my life."