Domestic Violence Survivors Speak Out

Chantel Corcino and her boyfriend had just dropped their daughter off at school ​“when all of a sudden he began to hit me.”

She spoke out about the incident Thursday as officials launched Domestic Violence Awareness Month in City Hall. The event featured those on the front lines of relationship violence, including two survivors.

Their testimony was put in context by a startling report from police about the number of domestic violence calls officers must handle.

Corcino (pictured) said her first attack took place just a few months ago. She said she and her partner had walked their daughter to school and come back for breakfast. Everything was fine, she said, ​“when all of a sudden he began to hit me. He used all kinds of weapons — a toilet top, belt, mop, broomstick. He also tried to strangle me in the bathroom,” and also turned on the hot water and burned her face.

“He repeatedly said he was going to kill me. That’s when I knew I had to fight for my life.”

She was able to call the police, and she has separated from her abuser. With help from the Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis, she is moving on with her life.

“Hopefully by me telling my story,” Corcino concluded, ​“it will help other women.”

Another survivor, Madeline Osorio (pictured), said she had been abused — both physically and sexually — by her mother’s various husbands.

She said she thought she would escape it by marrying at 15, but she said the violence got worse. She divorced her husband 20 years ago, but she’s still in therapy, dealing with the emotional abuse that she said was even worse than the beatings. The violence had a profound impact on her daughter. She said she received help from domestic violence services.

She gave this message to other women who may be suffering from abuse: ​“I plead that you look for help because there are people that want to help us end this chain of domestic violence.” 

“No One Is Immune”

The emotional testimony shed some light on the day’s conclusion: Domestic violence can happen to anyone, regardless of age, gender or occupation.

A New Haven police officer shared some surprising statistics to back up that claim.

Police Lt. Julie Johnson (pictured) laid out an ugly truth: ​“Police officers respond to more calls for domestic violence in the span of their career than any other type of call. This year, domestic violence accounted for one murder in New Haven.”

She noted that children are often both victims and witnesses — - who are really also victims.

The violence affects officers too, she said. ​“More officers, by far, are assaulted or injured during domestic disturbance calls than in any other circumstances.” She said domestic violence calls can’t be canceled. All must be investigated. And she noted that New Haven police Sgt. Dario Aponte died and fellow officer Diane Gonzales was critically injured in a traffic accident last year as they responded to a domestic violence call.

The program was presented by the Greater New Haven Domestic Violence Task Force, made up of government and social service agencies from New Haven and 12 surrounding communities.

Tracey Parks (pictured), head of community education at Domestic Violence Services, said the biggest increase in reported domestic violence (much of it is not reported) is in the 16- to 24-year-old age group. She said that despite all the education about abuse of alcohol and other drugs, tobacco, even steroids, very few young people say they have ever been taught anything about abusive relationships and how to develop healthy relationships.

Parks said that, thanks to technology like cell phone photography and Facebook, many young women’s lives have been ruined by having sexually explicit photos taken by a partner that are then broadcast to the world when the couple breaks up. 

And she noted that elder abuse is also on the rise.

In his brief welcoming remarks, Mayor John DeStefano said the economic downturn and cuts in programming make it more essential than ever that groups work together to maximize resources to reduce domestic violence — something he said local groups and city agencies are already pretty good at doing.

For the program’s finale, Ras Mo (pictured) recited a poem. He’s a local artist who directs Pink and Blue: Arts for Violence Prevention program, using art, theater and poetry to engage young people in dialogue about the issue. Click here for a previous story.

In a separate interview, Sandra Koorijian, the director of Domestic Violence Services, said the numbers of people filing domestic violence complaints hasn’t really changed in the past couple of years, despite the economic meltdown, ​“but the violence seems to be more severe. There’s more use of guns, weapons, that kind of thing. And I think there’s more use of technology to stalk people and harass people, and we’re seeing that among younger and younger people — teens and preteens.” She said a shrinking budget has meant cutting two counselors who did individual therapy, leaving just one. Budgets cuts haven’t yet been draconian, though she added, ​“When you have flat funding for so many years, I guess that could be called a cut.”

About 25 persons — men, women and children, but mostly women — are killed every year in Connecticut in domestic violence incidents, Koorijian said. The state has 15 domestic violence shelters, including the one in New Haven with 15 beds, including for children, where women may stay up to 60 days.

Half a dozen events are planned throughout the month, including theater, an art exhibit and a march around the Green representing children who have been in domestic violence shelters. Visit this website for more information.