San Rafael, CA – A coordinated effort to promote peace in the home keeps gaining momentum in Marin County, and the discussion will continue at the second annual Marin County Family Violence Prevention Summit on October 1 in San Rafael.
Domestic violence remains the most common of all violent crimes in Marin. The County government and community partners have taken great strides to collaborate on new strategies to enforce zero-tolerance policies and end the abuse. As a signal of that commitment, the second annual summit is titled “Enough is Enough.”
The summit, hosted by the Marin County Family Violence Consortium and sponsored by the Marin County Board of Supervisors, will include participation by the Marin County Probation Department, the Marin County District Attorney’s Office, Marin County Public Defender’s Office, Marin County Sheriff’s Office, Marin County Health and Human Services, Marin County Police Chiefs Association, Kaiser Permanente and the Center for Domestic Peace.
The event will take place at the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center and will include an overview of domestic violence in Marin, personal testimonies and breakout sessions. The keynote presentation will be by Casey Gwinn, president of the National Family Justice Center Alliance. Gwinn, a former elected San Diego City Attorney, is the author of “Cheering for the Children: Creating Pathways to Hope for Children Exposed to Trauma.” He has advocated that childhood trauma should be the preeminent public health issue in America today and that unaddressed childhood trauma results in massive costs and lifelong consequences.
Between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015, 787 incidents of domestic violence – almost 2.2 per day – were referred to the Marin County District Attorney's Office by local law enforcement agencies. Experts believe the number of incidents isn’t an accurate depiction of the problem because most domestic violence incidents are not reported to law enforcement. Cases of Internet stalking and harassment, teen dating violence, same-sex violence, violence in the context of human trafficking, and revenge pornography are common, according to the DA’s office.
“The data collection efforts across many agencies is really helping us properly allocate our prevention and educational resources,” said Marin County Chief Probation Officer Mike Daly. “Outreach efforts provided in different languages will also help satisfy some of the demographic data we have collected.”
The October 1 summit runs from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM and is open to all for $35. The Osher Marin JCC is at 200 N. San Pedro Road in San Rafael. The registration fee covers breakfast and lunch. A limited number of event scholarships are available upon request. Register online or call the Probation Department at 415-473-6599.