Jane Doe Inc. - Voices For Change

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Anti-violence event planned
By Chris Hamel
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
The Republican

WARE - Valentine's Day will take a serious turn at the high school where students will be asked to pledge their efforts to prevent domestic and dating violence.

Daniel M. Orszulak, a veteran mathematics teacher at the high school, said this week that a small, coed student group, consisting mainly of junior girls and sophomore boys, will be in the forefront as the high school participates in the statewide launch of the White Ribbon Campaign. The latter is an international event that focuses on men's opposition to violence against women.

Orszulak, who is acting as an informal adviser to the student group, previously was approached by the Ware Domestic Violence Task Force to help with its work, including a poster campaign about domestic and dating violence prevention.

Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth D. Scheibel's Domestic Violence Task Force, the Massachusetts Rural Domestic and Sexual Violence Project, Jane Doe Inc. and other violence prevention organizations will be involved on Feb. 14, when the statewide campaign begins.

Scheibel's office issued a statement that said Ware High School, Amherst Regional High School in Amherst and Ralph C. Mahar Regional High School in Orange will be the schools participating in this area.

Orszulak noted that on Feb. 14, during the high school's lunch periods, boys will be asked by the student group to sign a pledge. It reads, "From this day forward, I pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls, sexual assault and domestic and dating violence."
The high school's girls will be asked to sign a pledge of support for the boys. It reads, in part, "While we are concerned about all forms of violence, the central focus of this project is ending men's violence against women. This violence includes physical or emotional abuse, financial control, sexual harassment, and other domineering behavior."

Orszulak said that raising awareness about the issues among the students is key. He said opportunities will be offered to help students to cope with situations they might have witnessed or are experiencing currently.

There will be information tables at the high school, informing students how to recognize abusive relationships and how to get help if they need it. Orszulak said students will be creating a video that includes statistics and cases of violence in Western Massachusetts. The video will be shown at the high school on Feb. 13 and later on community cable access television.

The video and the Feb. 14 lunchtime activity will include wood cutouts, bearing written messages, that represent victims of domestic and dating violence, Orszulak said.