Hartford walk honors domestic violence victims

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The community spread the word about preventing domestic violence during a walk Thursday in Hartford.

One in four women will experience domestic violence, and one in seven men will.

“Unfortunately, not a lot of men report abuse, because they think they’re not going to be believed,” said Mari Oratiz, with the Hispanic Health Council. “It’s really underreported, because of that.”

In some cases, Oratiz said victims die by suicide to escape their abusers. They want people to know that help is possible.

“I think that’s what’s powerful about today, is for people to walk away saying, ‘Hey, I know about these resources, and I think I can actually do something about it,” said Meghan Scanlon, with the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Annastasia Paul was strangled to death a year ago. For her family, the pain is still very real.

“If that’s your daughter, if that’s your sister, you know how they act,” said April Calvelli, Paul’s cousin. “If you saw a bruise or something, you would ask, ‘Hey, what is that?’ Speak up. Be that person’s advocate, because they can’t speak for themselves.”

Places like Interval House in Hartford are trying to help.

“It’s really dangerous at times, but we are there to do some safety planning, provide services and resources, and that you’re not alone,” said Jennifer Lopez, the advocacy director at Hartford Interval House.

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