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Jack County Commissioners Court takes stand against domestic violence

Tue, 10/22/2019 - 12:48 pm
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    Karen VanderKaay and the Jack County Commissioners Court stand together with the proclamation brought forth for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Photo/Trevor M. Wyatt

The Jack County Commissioners Court wore purple ribbons and listened to domestic violence statistics before voting unanimously to recognize October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Jack County.

The proclamation was presented by Karen VanderKaay, victim advocate for Jack County Wise Hope.

 She described facts to the court that she said were necessary to put out there.

“One in four women, and one in nine men, will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetimes,” VanderKaay said, “And 75% of people know someone who either has been a victim or is currently a victim of sexual assault.”

VanderKaay said although the statistics and facts are shocking to look at, there are things people in domestic violence situations do that cannot be quantified and are just as important to view.

“Especially in a small town like Jacksboro, people have been in the mindset of ‘oh, that’s not my business, I’m going to stay out of it,’” she said. “Now, since that has been happening for so long, we just see it and no longer do anything for a victim of domestic violence. We just watch it happen.”

For more on this story, see the Wednesday, October 23 edition of the Jacksboro Herald-Gazette.