Polito outlines new domestic violence initiative
DPH effort to launch early ’19
Targeting a younger audience, the state’s Department of Public Health will launch a $500,000 initiative next year combating domestic violence.
“Obviously the time is overdue but the time being now is really appropriate,” Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito told the Herald. “Now more than ever, with the national conversation and spotlight on sexual harassment, sexual assault, it’s important for all of us, government leaders, private providers, public safety officials, to come together.”
In its infant stages, the campaign will launch early next year.
The program is the first of its kind since Lt. Gov. Paul Cellucci launched a domestic violence awareness campaign 18 years ago.
Polito held a series of community impact discussions across the commonwealth earlier this year to develop ideas and direction for the campaign. She said those conversations often turned a focus onto a younger audience.
“I think there are many women of my age that tolerated certain conditions in the workplace that are just unacceptable and are now maybe speaking out about it,” Polito said. “I ... feel very committed to helping the next generation understand that you don’t have to withstand that in order to get promoted or to advance in life and to empower younger people to know — both young men and young women — about what is correct.”
Polito held the first meeting of the campaign’s work group yesterday, where members brainstormed various areas of focus the campaign might take on and possible targeted audiences. The group is scheduled to meet again Nov. 5.
Representatives from MORE Advertising, one of the first minority womanowned agencies in the Northeast, laid out a timeline and a three-stage campaign development process.
“Campaigns like this can’t be produced and developed in six weeks. Everyone thinks they can, but it takes a lot of effort,” MORE President Judi Haber said. “Especially because we haven’t done this in a long time and a lot has changed in 20 years.”
By securing the funding through the DPH, the state is signaling it takes this seriously and that it is viewed as a public health issue, rather than exclusively a public safety one, according to Polito.
“Someone who suffers from this level of abuse can have mental trauma, obviously physical trauma and it can create a situation where they’re held back from employment, held back from a good, safe quality of life,” Polito said. “If you talk about it as a health issue, I think it allows more people to feel comfortable about talking about it and coming forward and getting help that they need.”