‘Start fighting, start forgiving,’ hundreds march against domestic violence

HONOLULU (KHON2) — ‘Stop the Violence.’ That’s the message hundreds shared at the 30th Men’s March Against Violence Thursday morning.

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For families dealing with loss after a violent crime, healing comes in phases.

“When they mentioned her name first, the hardest part is to hear it,” stated Lucita Ani-Nihoa. “I know sometimes we try to bury things, but I go in and out of my grieving.”

Ani-Nihoa’s daughter, Theresa Cachuela, was shot and killed by her husband in the Pearl Ridge Center Parking lot back in December.

“‘This time, Mom. You got to get up. You got to start fighting. You just gotta start forgiving,’ and she want us to just live on her legacy, you know? And that’s what we’re doing. We’re going to push for change,” said Ani-Nihoa.

That’s why Ani-Nihoa and hundreds of others gathered for the 30th Men’s March Against Violence- a way to encourage men to be part of the solution, according to the Domestic Violence Action Center (DVAC).

“It’s so proactive and supportive for men to march to say, ‘violence doesn’t belong in our families, it doesn’t belong here in our community, so, let’s take a stand against it and say, no, there’s a different way. There’s a better way to live a life of peace and safety for our families,'” stated Monique Ibarra, DVAC CEO.

According to DVAC, 18% of community members both male and female are victims of domestic violence.

“It does happen for men as well and likely far more under-reported than it will be for females,” said Ibarra. “They might feel more shame and more stigma and they may not go and try and get the help that they need.”

Ani-Nihoa said events like the men’s march is a way to empower all victims.

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“Give them hope, give them strength, inspire them to defend themselves, to speak up. That’s what we trying to do,” stated Ani-Nihoa.

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