Battered But Not Broken
Marlene Salinas
February 25, 2009
Amanda La Pierre is just like any other normal 18-year-old woman in college. She is a happy and vivacious woman majoring in Liberal Studies at California State University Northridge, but La Pierre hides a dark secret from her family and the outside world. She says she was verbally and physically abused by her ex-boyfriend of three years when she was just 16.
La Pierre said the violence started slowly with name calling and then escalated to his desire in controlling every aspect of her life. It all ended one night when the two had a physical altercation in which La Pierre’s former boyfriend threw her into the car and beat her up because she wouldn’t stop crying. La Pierre never reported the incident to the police simply because she did not want any more “drama.” “He threatened to kill me and himself,” said La Pierre, “The advice I would give others who are in a similar situation is ‘Get away because they are never going to change.’”
La Pierre is not alone. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports there is an estimated 1.3 million women that have been assaulted by an intimate partner every year yet most of the domestic violence casesare never reported to police. It is said that every one in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.
Dr. Karen Morgaine, sociology professor at CSUN, says that domestic violence cuts across all races and social classes but that women are the most susceptible in becoming victims. Dr. Morgaine goes on to mention that she believes the perpetrators of domestic violence commit the crime because it tends to be a learned behavior. “We live in a culture that privileges violence in order to obtain power,” said Morgaine, “The women that are experiencing domestic violence become isolated and the perpetrators know that the smaller you make someone’s world, the easier it is to contain dominance.”
The “Take Back the Night Rally” is an event that takes place in college campuses nationwide. It’s an event that is done to raise awareness about the different types of violence that engulfs our society as a whole. CSUN has been participating in this event for five years and on February 26, 2009 it will hold the event for the sixth consecutive year.
Cassaundra Rodriguez, a junior and sociology major at CSUN, has been involved with the rally for two years. She believes that the “Take Back the Night Rally” is a “worthy cause” and goes on to say that it is a great method to bring people together. “It’s taking a stand,” said Rodriguez, “Against all types of violence perpetuated not just on women but on men and children too. If people want to get involved they should show up and demonstrate their support.”
