Small Display At Booth Library Honors Victims Of Domestic Violence, Offers Quiet Hope For Others

By Shannon Hicks

On Tuesday, October 9, three members of Newtown Woman’s Club, GWFC, Inc, quietly placed three wooden cutouts on display at C.H. Booth Library. The figures have been painted in red, and are a small reminder of the issue of domestic violence. The display has been created in conjunction with October being observed as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Woman’s Club Co-president Nina Morrison was joined by NWC Public Issues committee members Marion Thompson and Betty Warren on Tuesday, selecting an appropriate location to place the cutouts and three stacks of pamphlets that will serve for the next month to remind all visitors to the library that help for any victim of domestic violence is always available.

The red figures, each approximately 30 inches tall, represent women who have been killed, each a victim of domestic violence. The three — Helle Crafts, Louise Khuna-Cushnik, and Christine Czap — were all residents of Newtown at the time of their death.

The figures were created by Mrs Thompson’s husband David, and are based on a statewide exhibition, “The Connecticut Silent Witness Exhibit.” Created in 1997, the statewide exhibit was a traveling memorial and tribute to women who were murdered by their partners in acts of domestic violence. The display, which itself was part of a national movement to increase awareness of domestic violence, featured 13 life-sized plywood figures painted red, 11 of which represent Connecticut women who died as a result of domestic violence in 1996.

The first silent witness display was created in 1990 in Minnesota.

The figures on view this month at Booth Library include, like their state and national counterparts, brief descriptions of what happened to each woman along with their age at the time of their death.

“While the display focuses on women and what has happened to them, I believe John Krafcsik should also be considered a victim of domestic violence,” Mrs Thompson said on Tuesday. Mr Krafcsik was killed by the same person who killed Christine Czap on November 25, 1993.

The pamphlets included with the display at the library include “The Connecticut Silent Witness Exhibit: Break The Silence,” with details about the national project, a definition of domestic violence, information on helping those who may be in an abusive relationship, and a statewide hotline to call if help is needed (888-774-2900); “Domestic Violence: It’s Not Just Physical,” published by the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, with additional information including the hotline and a website (www.Ctcadv.org); and a brochure from The Women’s Center of Danbury, with localized information for those seeking counseling, advocacy, crisis intervention, emergency shelter. The brochure also includes contact information, including phone numbers for the center’s resource and referral helpline (203-731-5200), its sexual assault hotline (203-731-5204), and domestic violence hotline (203-731-5206).

The Women’s Center has a 13-bed emergency shelter, Elizabeth House. The center promises “a safe and secure environment for victims of violence all day, every day … to women and children who must flee from extreme violence in their home.” Shelter for men is also provided, in other locations.

“More than 1,700 Newtown residents reached out to Danbury Women’s Center for help last year,” Mrs Thompson said.

“That number is actually down from when we first started working with them a few years ago,” Mrs Warner said. “It had been 2,000 Newtown residents a few years ago who needed help.”

According to the center’s 2011 Annual Report, that number is down even from 2010, when 1,816 clients from Newtown were served.

“When we first started talking with them,” she continued, “Newtown was second on the list in terms of the number of people who reached out for help. We were second only behind Danbury.”

The Women’s Center, according to its mission statement, provides free and confidential services to prevent or lessen the trauma associated with domestic violence, sexual assault, and other major life transitions.

Located at 2 West Street in Danbury, the center serves 13 towns in southwestern Connecticut. According to its 2011 Annual Report, “27,697 individuals from our area communities were the recipients of the free and confidential services provided through … Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and  Resource Services programs as well as … comprehensive primary prevention, education and training programs.”

Domestic Violence Awareness is a Signature Project for the National General Federation of Women’s Clubs, of which Newtown Woman’s Club is a member. The Newtown club also supports the Women’s Center with monetary donations, snacks/juice for the children, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and nonperishable foods for the Women’ Shelter year round.

The Women’s Center administrative office can be reached by calling 203-731-5200. Additional information is available at www.womenscenterofgreaterdanbury.org.

Benefit Cut-A-Thon Planned

On Sunday, October 21, from 10 am until 3 pm, Klickers Hair Studio will host a cut-a-thon for The Women’s Center.

Dry haircuts, at $20 each, will be offered by the salon’s stylists that day, with 100 percent of the day’s proceeds going to the center.

The salon is at 147 Mt Pleasant Road in Newtown.

Anyone who cannot make it to the cut-a-thon but who would like to donate through the salon’s efforts for The Women’s Center can do so online. Visit www.FirstGiving.com/fundraiser, search for Klickers, and then click on salon owner Toni Ribeiro’s name, where a secure donation can be made. Call Klickers for additional information at 203-426-5336.