Karidat executive director Angie Deleon Guerrero yesterday said that this has always been the case as financial needs escalate during the holidays, and just before the opening of classes.
Deleon Guerrero said that as the holidays roll around or at the opening of classes, families need money to buy clothes, shoes, food, and all the other necessities and when money is not just there, conflicts usually arise.
“The holiday stress is just too much for some people to handle and the family members are the most likely candidates to be the victims,” Deleon Guerrero said.
She added that in addition to financial concerns and its underlying issues, there could be other factors that results to domestic violence cases.
Karidat, a non-profit charitable institution in the CNMI offers temporary shelter to help victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and other cases to get back on their feet at the Guma Esperansa or House of Hope.
Deleon Guerrero said that the daily newspaper reports about domestic violence, burglary and theft case and reports about abuse is a ‘sad’ thing to note.
“Leaf through the newspapers every day and you will see these sad stories about domestic violence and abuse, burglaries even in churches which are unheard of before,” she said.
However, Deleon Guerrero said that the news reports, especially on domestic violence cases, serve to encourage other victims who are suffering from the same fate to come out in the open.
“When victims know that they are not alone, when they find out that there are agencies that are helping and doing something to address their concerns, they get the courage to come out and seek assistance,” Deleon Guerrero said.
She said that this is a positive change in the attitude of victims. She added that before, victims of abuse and domestic violence just keep quiet and carry the burden all by themselves because they are scared.
Deleon Guerrero also said that things are changing now and they have had to give shelter to some males who are victims of domestic violence.
“Mostly, the victims of domestic violence and abuse are women but we have had male clients, too,” she said.
