|
NEWS
| OCTOBER 28, 2005
Silence the Violence
Graduate student finds calling
by assisting abused women
 |
| The Shorthorn: Mark Roberts |
| A small crowd holds
candles during a vigil held for victims of domestic violence
Thursday night in the Architecture courtyard. The short
ceremony was held by two Dallas-Fort Worth shelters, The
Women’s Shelter and Women’s Haven. |
|
By Alyssa
Fry
The Shorthorn staff
As she left the Architecture courtyard, one woman thanked Donna
Collins-Bonato, social work graduate student, for her work at The
Women’s Shelter.
Collins-Bonato has worked at the shelter for a year and says helping
women get through abusive situations is her calling.
“Women like that motivate me,” she said. “Sometimes
it can be a thankless job. It’s not always positive, but this
is my passion. This is my way of making it better for them.”
The annual candlelight vigil for victims of domestic violence was
held Thursday night in the Architecture courtyard. The event was
sponsored by Women’s Haven of Tarrant County and The Women’s
Shelter.
As part of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the ceremony
served as a reminder of women who have died as a result of domestic
violence and promotes education about alternatives to abusive relationships.
Speakers shared anecdotes about their work with abused women while
14 wooden cutouts of female figures, each representing a woman who
has died in Tarrant County this year as a result of domestic violence,
stood behind them.
 |
| The Shorthorn: Mark Roberts |
| Wooden figures represent
the female victims of domestic violence in the state of
Texas during a small ceremony Thursday night on the Architecture
Courtyard. |
|
Small white candles were given to the audience
of about 20 after the speeches concluded. After all the candles
were lit, a moment of silence was observed for the women who the
cutouts represented.
The abuse of a close relative of Collins-Bonato resulted in her
interest in social work, she said.
While in college for her undergraduate degree, a teacher’s
aide in one of her classes showed her an essay he had written about
The Clothesline Project, a campaign to spread awareness of violence
against women.
In this project, women decorate a T-shirt and hang it on a clothesline
to represent a survivor or a victim of violence against women.
“He just showed me his essay as an example of structure, and
I saw it was about domestic violence,” she said. “It
sounds corny, but I think it was my calling.”
Collins-Bonato began working at the shelter as an operator for the
24-hour emergency hotline. Five months later, she was promoted to
a case manager and now works with shelter residents individually.
“I meet with them twice a week, and we set goals together,”
she said.
Counseling, support groups and job training are available for women
staying at the shelter, as well as counseling for their children.
“The children’s support groups show them ways to deal
with their anger and the parenting classes help [the parents] realize
they are not the only ones going through this,” she said.
Santos Hernandez, dean of social sciences, is also on the board
of The Women’s Shelter. He also spoke about the need for the
shelter to continue helping women.
“I think [this ceremony] draws attention to the issue of domestic
violence and that women are very courageous when they are in a difficult
situation,” he said.
Hernandez said men and college students in general need to be educated
on this issue also because it is not just a problem in marriages.
“It’s in a lot of dating situations, and college students
need to be aware,” he said. “This is one reason why
I was interested in bringing the vigil to campus.”
CORRECTION
In this story, the title of Social Work Dean Santos
Hernandez’s title was incorrect.
|
|
