June 2019 - Greenville, MS Volume 4
Voices Making a Difference - Newsletter
Father's Day

The idea of a special  day  to honor  fathers  and celebrate fatherhood was introduced from the United States. There, a woman called Sonora Smart Dodd was inspired by the American Mother's  Day  celebrations to plan a  day  to honor  fathers .

In the USA,  Father's Day  has been celebrated in June since 1910.
When you think of a domestic violence survivor, who comes to mind? For most people, it’s a female. And rightfully so since  three-quarters of domestic violence victims are women . However, hundreds of thousands of men experience domestic violence each year, too.

Data from the National Crime Victimization Study between 2003 and 2012 show that men account for about  24 percent  of domestic violence survivors. Domestic violence against men is real and takes just as many forms as domestic violence against women—physical, sexual, reproductive, financial, emotional and psychological. 

Here are 10 more facts to know about domestic violence against men:

  • About 1 in 7 men ages 18 and older have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner.

  • Almost half (48.8 percent) of all men have dealt with some sort of psychological aggression by an intimate partner. This number is equal to women at 48.4 percent.

  • Nearly 1 in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner to the point they were scared for their life or safety or the lives or safety of loved ones. 

  • Of rapes on men that were committed by someone known to the survivor, about 29 percent were by an intimate partner. 

  • Men are the victims in about 6 percent of cases of murder-suicide in which the offender is an intimate partner. 


  • The average cost for men seeking emergency care following an attack by an intimate partner is $387. 

  • About 2 in 5 gay and bisexual men will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

  • Nearly 8 percent of males who’ve reported domestic violence have been shot at, stabbed or hit with a weapon.

  • An estimated 5 percent of male homicide victims annually are killed by an intimate partner.

Domestic violence—whether against women or men—often goes unreported. Men in particular may decide not to report
violence by an intimate partner to law enforcement
for fear of being labeled the instigator or not believed.
No instance of domestic violence is justified.
Whether you’re male or female, it’s never your fault.
If you are dealing with domestic violence,
call the  National Domestic Violence Hotline  at 800-799-SAFE (7233).
June 27 -28, 2019
Law Enforcement Training
Greenville, MS
CE hours for officers will be provided by the
MS Dept. of Public Safety - Office of Standards & Training
Social Workers & Faith Based Communities Addressing
African American 
Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Issues through dialogue,
teaching and sharing 

3 rd Annual Conference
Soaring into the Future with 
Visionaries’ VOICES


August 8, 2019
Pre-Conference

August 12-14, 2019
General Conference

CE hours for Social Workers
have been applied for through MBOE for both conferences


Feathered Speaker for both events
Elizabeth Petersen

South African Faith and Family Institute (SAFFI)  is a multi-faith non-profit organization that was established in 2008 for the expressed purpose of being a resource to faith leaders and congregations as they assist individuals and families who are afflicted by intimate partner abuse (IPA). We believe that faith leaders are key stakeholders in the prevention and eradication of the problem. SAFFI exists to strengthen the capacity of faith leaders as they address the faith dimensions and root causes of violence against women (VAW) in intimate relationships, church and wider society. We amplify faith and culture as critical resources in religiously pervasive contexts like South Africa with a particular emphasis on interventions which humanize men who abuse their intimate partners as we expand safety and empowerment options for women and their families.

BIO OF FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Elizabeth Petersen
Elizabeth Petersen is a PhD candidate at the Department of Religion and Theology at the University of the Western Cape where she also holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work (2006). Her journey within the VAW sector dates back to 1993 as a social worker at St. Anne’s Homes in Cape Town, a century old Anglican shelter caring for abused and homeless women and children, and then she became their Director in 1997 until 2008. During her tenure in the women’s shelter sector, she served as coordinator of the WC shelter focus group for several years where she played a leading role in placing the housing needs of women exiting shelters on the national and local government agenda. Together with her colleagues in the shelter sector, the WC Transitional and Special Needs Housing Forum was established and she played a key role in helping to establish the Shelter Movement of SA. She is passionate about women’s issues and the plight of the marginalized and has addressed various local and international audiences to help bring about gender & racial sensitivity and equality. Her quest for addressing root causes of violence against women led her to establish the South African Faith and Family Institute (SAFFI) in 2008 with the intention of creating a coordinated restorative justice response to domestic violence with particular focus on strengthening the capacity in the faith sector and holding perpetrators accountable for their abusive behaviour. Her extensive work in the domestic violence sector, her faith commitment, church leadership and her inter-religious work experience with faith leaders across various religions and denominations enables her to bring these sectors together in the quest to interrupt the cycle of violence and abuse which she believes is strongly rooted in white supremacy and patriarchy. In July 2009 she completed a Hubert H Humphrey Fellowship program in the USA which afforded her the opportunity to establish critical partnerships with colleagues in the States to advance the work in South Africa. For the period of 2009 - June 2016 she served as Director of the Western Cape Religious Leaders Forum and she serves on the Boards of St Anne’s Homes, the Inclusive and Affirming Ministries (a faith-based LGBTIQ non-profit) and the UWC Desmond Tutu Centre for Spirituality and Society. Here is a link to short documentary on aspects of her life and its intersection with her work use  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXbv1V5CFo
Additional Conference
AADPP PRESENTERS:
AADPP - African American Domestic Peace Project
  • Rev./Dr. Tracie Jackson Antoine,Director of OVWDomestic /Sexual Violence Project, Urban League of Eastern, Massachusetts
  • Dr. Adrienne Castelle, Co-owner, Helping Overcome Personal Emptiness (HOPE), Tacoma, WA
  • LaDonna M. Combs, Executive Director, Sisters Against Abuse Society, SAAS, Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, Michigan
  • Dr. Patricia Ann Davenport, LSW, Director of Our House, Inc., Greenville, Mississippi
  • Rev./Dr. Sharon Ellis Davis, United Church of Christ Pastor, Executive Director of the Education and Family Life Institute, Whitsett, NC
  • Sherina James,Community Advocate and Chair of the Pierce County Commission Against Domestic Violence, Tacoma, Washington
  • Jennifer J. King,Regional Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Austin, TX
  • Bishop Roderick Mitchell & Dr. Mary Mitchell,New Life Church, Renova  Mississippi
  • Carolyn Russell, Executive Director of Safe Place, Oakland, first shelter for battered women and their children,Oakland, California
  • Pastor J.R. Thicklin,President and CEO of Destiny By Choice, Inc., West Palm Beach, Florida
  • Bridget Vinson-O’Neal, MSLBSW-IPRExecutive Director, First Choice Social Services, Garland, Texas
  • Dr. Oliver J. Williams, Senior Consultant, African American Domestic Peace Project, Social Services Professor, University of MN
Our House, Inc.
662-334-6873 office * 662-332-5683 hotline | voices@ourhousevoices.com * www.ourhousevoices.com
A proud agency of United Way -
Bolivar & Washington Counties
VISION STATEMENT: A world free of interpersonal violence.

MISSION STATEMENT: To lead, empower and inspire change by eliminating domestic violence and sexual violence through intervention, prevention, prosecution, victim protection and sustainable restoration in rural communities; and, to enhance the lives of survivors of interpersonal violence by providing services that meet the psychological, spiritual and cultural needs of those we serve.
Click here to sign up and volunteer!

 Thank you for your continuous support in helping Our House, Inc. to provide intervention and prevention services in the area of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking and dating violence.
Sincerely,
Dr. Patricia Ann Davenport, CEO