HARTFORD – This Father’s Day, Interval House is once again asking men to lend their names for publication in the cause against domestic violence and abuse.
Since 2018, hundreds of men supporting Interval House–the state’s largest domestic violence intervention and prevention program–have added their names to an “Honor Roll” published as part of the agency’s annual Father’s Day initiative.
“We know most abusers in the world of domestic violence are men, but of course most men are not abusers,” said Mary-Jane Foster, Interval House’s President and CEO. “We want those good men to step forward. Each Father’s Day we ask them to make a difference and stand with us as role models to other men and young boys.”
Interval House’s Father’s Day initiative raises money, but Foster said it’s a campaign mostly geared at getting men involved in ending the cycle of violence, which in most cases is learned in early childhood.
According to national statistics, about 92-percent of the abusers in reported domestic violence households are men. Of that number, about 70-percent of those adult male abusers witnessed and experienced domestic violence in their homes as boys and teenagers.
Researchers also estimate each year that as much as 6-percent of kids nationally–or about 4.5 million children–have seen or heard parents or other adults slap, hit, kick or punch each other in the home. A global study recently of more than 125,000 people from all socioeconomic backgrounds found children who witnessed domestic violence had the same risk and incident of PTSD as soldiers returning from combat.
“The lasting and lifelong negative impact of domestic violence on a child is horrific,” Foster said. “If we can break that chain early on, then we know we can drop those numbers dramatically.”
Men who want to participate in the Interval House Father’s Day initiative can make a donation of any amount to add their names to the list at:
https://intervalhouse.salsalabs.org/FathersDay/index.html. Women can also add the name of a man in their lives who makes a difference.
About Interval House
Founded in 1977, Interval House is the largest agency in the state of Connecticut dedicated to preventing and breaking the cycle of domestic violence. Through its direct service and community outreach in 24 towns and cities both East and West of the Connecticut River, Interval House has touched the lives of more than 250,000 people in four-plus decades.
COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic, has had an extremely adverse impact on Interval House and created a dramatic increase in need from victims. From January to March of this year alone, the agency’s safe house has been operating at nearly 250-percent over capacity. More than 50 households have been sheltered; when the safe house is full clients have been placed in hotels at an enormous expense to the nonprofit organization. Also, calls since January to the hotline are up nearly 20-percent over last year — or 2,811 calls.
Interval House Contact Information
24-Hour Hotline: (888) 774-2900. Donations accepted: www.intervalhousect.org/donate. All other calls: (860) 246-9149. Website: www.intervalhousect.org.
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