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Video Transcribed: Hello, this is Tulsa attorney Justin Mosteller with the Wirth Law Office, and you’re watching the first in a multi-part series about domestic violence.
Now, domestic violence is an incredibly common situation that folks find themselves in, and it involves adult intimate partners perpetrating violent acts against each other, and using physical and emotional coercion to control the other party.
Now, according to statistics that I’m going to cite to you from the Domestic Violence Manual for Child Welfare Specialists provided by Oklahoma DHS in March 2018…
They were sourced by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence originally in a study that was done some time ago, and those statistics are pretty astounding: One in four women at some point in their life will suffer from domestic violence, which could mean stalking or sexual violence or physical assault.
One in eight men will have similar scenarios. And in Oklahoma, 73% of reported domestic violent incidents where the police showed up, the victim of domestic violence reported strangulation as being one of the means by which they were abused.
That’s a pretty astonishing set of statistics, and it should act as a wake-up call to anyone who is downplaying the seriousness of domestic violence.
In my practice, I deal with clients who are subject to domestic violence, and I see the pain that it wreaks in their lives, the harm it does to their children, and the absolute Herculean efforts that are required to escape that situation. I’ve seen it many, many times.
And as a role of result of seeing it so much, I’ve decided that I wanted to share this information out on the internet in the hopes that someone out there can see it and maybe be inspired to escape a bad situation, or at least find access to resources that can help make a bad situation better.
If you are in the midst of a domestic violence situation, if you are suffering at the hands of your intimate partner, reach out to an Oklahoma attorney who knows how to deal with this situation. And don’t just reach out to a Tulsa attorney.
Also make for sure your number one priority is your physical safety. So reach out to police, reach out to family members. Now, in later videos we’ll discuss why reaching out to family members in these types of situations might be difficult. But do your best to reach out.
And if you are on the outside of a relationship looking in and you suspect some type of domestic violence is occurring, reach out. Give them a hand. See how they’re doing. Check in on old friends. That’s really the best defense that we have as a community, to just be… being together and being a community and checking on each other, following up, and not letting anyone fall through the cracks.
There are resources that people in domestic violence situations should know about. DVIS, or DVIS, provides domestic violence counseling services to both victims and perpetrators through their programs. There’s a batterer’s intervention program specifically for perpetrators, I should clarify a little.
But DVIS also provides free advocates to victims of domestic violence. They will give you tips and help on how to get a protective order, if a protective order is needed. They can be a very, very useful temporary stopgap measure that can get you rescued.
Once you’re rescued, you really do need legal help. If you’re in a marriage or you have a child with the individual that’s been abusing you, you need help to exit that situation. On average, women leave between five and seven times before they are finally able to leave their abusive partner.
Now, my philosophy, my law firm and my practice, is every time a battered client comes into my office, I want it to be the time that they escape.
And I press for it, and I work for it, and we pray for it. But again and again, you see that the victim has to be ready.
And I’ve found that the more services the victim gets, the more information that a victim acquires, the more likely they are to make the right decision for themselves and their children.
And that’s really what this is all about. If you find yourself in that situation, feel free to give our office a call at (918) 932-2800.
My name’s Justin Mosteller, and I’m the managing attorney for the Tulsa practice for the Wirth Law Office. Look forward to hearing from you. Thanks.
