“Making changes to the existing laws and imposing harsher punishments is not a solution to curb the increasing number of domestic violence cases here or anywhere in the world,” Aguon said in a recent interview with Variety.
He said domestic violence is a vicious cycle where the perpetrators go to court, serve time in jail, pay fines, and ask forgiveness from the victims.
“Usually, the victims of domestic violence will forgive the perpetrators with the hopes that he will change and things will be normal for a while. However, it is not surprising that very soon, the same thing happens and the cycle repeats itself,” Aguon said.
Although he did not provide figures, he said that in the CNMI, the number of domestic violence cases is increasing.
He added that battling the issue is like going to war with a formidable enemy.
But he said stakeholders and advocates can still do something.
“What we can do for now is to conduct awareness and educational programs to reach out to victims of domestic violence that there is help for them and they are not alone in their struggle,” Aguon said.
He said victims need a support group where they can meet with other victims and talk about what’s going on.
Superior Court Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo last week said that “about 50 percent of children who see domestic violence in their homes will have the same problems when they have families of their own in the future.”
He said children learn by example and if they see violence in their own homes, they will think it is just “normal.”
It is vital that education should start in the home when the children are still young, he said.
October has been designated by the governor as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
