check out the artwork on these shelter walls.
A very busy day. I was up at 8 and it is not almost midnight. I have not slowed down today and tomorrow will be similar. Dasa took me to Majak today. Wow. I met the social worker, who explained their program and showed me around. Check out the walls. Its that way all over the shelter. They have 60 women currently being sheltered and 25 children. My staff won't believe this but the social worker is the only one who works with them like our case managers at the Partnership. So the ratio is 1 to 60 compared to 1 to maximum 5 or 6. Hmmm. We think we are overworked Ouch. The program is very similar in ways to ours.
One thing that struck me was the expressed need to control things. We also discussed the cycle of violence and in many cases alcohol and drugs are blamed on domestic violence here. I shared my first encounter with the Lenore Walker books on domestic violence and the cycle of violence. I shared that I believe that those things exacerbate the behavior but they do not cause it and if we let it be an excuse we are not holding abusers accountable.
We also discussed the importance of education as a key to prevention and changing the environment of complacency in Bratislava. No one seems to think domestic violence is a big deal, not my problem. Again the issue of funding came up. With no coalition of programs, there are no strong lobbying voices to help speak out for social issues, funding and services.
It seems that economic growth is more important than social issues. I think when the social issues are sleeping in the mall entrance or asking for handouts in the mall, maybe things will change. I think when women and children die at the hands of abusers because no one thinks is their problem; I think when someone important's family is impacted by domestic violence, things will change. I think when the daughter of an important person is raped, things will change. I ask myself, why does it have to be this way. And then I think...isn't that what happened here in America; Tennessee and yes Chattanooga and sometimes still happens.
It was great to see this very large shelter and know that women are being helped at least for now.
After my visit, I went to buy tennis shoes and chocolate. My feet will be eternally grateful. Then I met my great Friend Eva Havelkova and Dasa and we went to see the opera Faust. It was a tragedy. Very sad. I had forgotten my college literature. Even with the Italian song and Slovak translation it was still sad. Tomorrow I go to Brana de Zivota and visit another shelter and then will lecture at Eva's class at the University. Chow
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