By now, you’ve certainly come across these life-sized silhouette cutouts, or “Silent Witnesses.” These cutouts represent actual victims of domestic violence, a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation. Hosted by the UMB Department of Public Safety, these cutouts served as an opportunity to “bring awareness of domestic violence both on and off campus and to offer solutions for people about how to deal with it,” a representative stated.
Fact #1:
Domestic violence is any of the following behaviors: physical, sexual, economic or emotional abuse, alone or in combination, by an intimate partner; often for the purpose of establishing or maintaining power and control over the other partner.
Fact #2:
Domestic violence occurs in heterosexual, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender relationships. Whether the victim is male or female, violence of any kind in relationships is unacceptable.
Fact #3:
Domestic violence affects people from every age, racial or ethnic background, religious group, neighborhood, and income level.
The Department of Public Safety takes reports of domestic violence very seriously and each report will be investigated fully. In any domestic violence situation, the safety of the victim and any involved children is paramount. If you are in immediate danger and need help or want to speak to a specially trained officer about your situation, call the UMB Department of Public Safety at 617-287-1212.
