In the shoes of domestic violence survivors

Oct. 22—Pinnacle Community Services put on an interactive presentation Friday at the Niagara County Emergency Management building to help bring attention to domestic violence.

"In Her Shoes" is a series of simulations that participants go through to better understand the situations that domestic violence survivors face. Groups of two follow a set of color-coded cards that tell the story of an abusive relationship, and the parties need to make decisions in a way that seems in keeping with the way their character would navigate the situation.

Participants on Friday included representatives of the Niagara County Sheriff's Office, the Child Advocacy Center of Niagara and the YWCA of the Niagara Frontier.

"In Her Shoes" has been presented on numerous occasions by Pinnacle. Prior to the onset of the Covid pandemic the agency offered the simulations at least 10 times a year, at colleges and companies that asked for them. The simulations returned this past March and three have been conducted this month alone, in conjunction with Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Larissa Bachman, Pinnacle's CEO, said "In Her Shoes" is so well received that the hosts often ask for it to be brought back again.

"We get a lot of feedback that these conversations help to align some of these thoughts or gain a better understanding," Bachman said. "If it's not about domestic violence, then maybe it's about a local resource, or challenges that participants don't already understand. We've heard feedback from other service providers who do similar work to us (saying) it's always a great refresher."

The simulations were created by the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence in 2015. Bachman acknowledged that while the presentation is informative, it falls short in a few areas that have become more apparent since 2015. In particular, she pointed out, there are no scenarios in which a man is being abused by his partner.

"We hope and assume that they are working on more updated versions," Bachman said. "Prior to the version we're using there wasn't really an emphasis on financial abuse. But throughout years of working with survivors, and gaining more knowledge and experience in domestic violence, we know that financial abuse is a very common form of abuse. That's why their most recent edition had an economic component."

Justin Wolf, a participant in the Friday exercise and a social work intern for Niagara County Victims Assistance, said he found the experience eye-opening.

"I think it covered a lot of the warning signs of domestic abuse, how difficult it can be to leave these relationships, and the importance of not judging and trying to understand the people who are in these situations," he said. "I feel I learned a lot."

"In Her Shoes" will be presented at Niagara University next week.