Forbes House

The Lake County Committee on Family Violence, Inc.

  Program Services for Battered Women and Their Children.

Updated 8/3/06

1. Society has not easily recognized the seriousness and magnitude of sexual assault and domestic violence and has been unsympathetic to the needs of the victims of these crimes.  The victims are frequently blamed rather than the offenders.
2. Physical and sexual abuse are learned behaviors, which affect all members of the family.  This abuse leads to further abuse unless there is an interruption in the abuse and/or generational cycle.
3. Women are the majority of these victims.  Historically they are economically and socially dependent, and have been socialized to be victims.
4. Special services are needed for the victims of assault and their families.
5. Education is needed to change attitudes that promote victimization and prevent the crime.
6. A positive problem solving approach is preferred to confrontation.