THE REVERE ADVOCATE–Friday, November 1 , 2019 Page 3 Revere Police and HarborCOV host domestic violence discussion By Tara Vocino I HarborCOV Executive Director Kourou Pich said domestic violence hits home for her, as her 32-year-old cousin was murdered by her husband approximately five years ago, adding that it can happen to anyone. n an effort to have more survivors share their stories, the Revere Police Department and HarborCOV held a domestic violence awareness seminar last Wednesday. Together, HarborCOV Executive Director Kourou Pich and HarborCOV Program Director Jasmine Perez-Pimentel defined domestic violence as “the systemic use of physical, emotional, verbal, financial and/or sexual abuse to gain power and control with a relationship.” Pich said warning signs include stalking behaviors, strangulation attempts, animal abuse, death threats and living with children that are not the abuser’s biological children. HarborCOV Director of Programs Jasmine Perez-Pimentel shared some voluntary, free, confidential services that the organization offers such as safety planning, up to 14 days of emergency housing and legal advocacy. Statistics show that one in five women and one in 59 men in the United States is raped in his or her lifetime and victims lose 32,000 full-time jobs yearly, due to the abuse. Next, police officers, station staff, and survivor Jennifer Simonetti introduced themselves and briefly shared their domestic violence calls and experience in an informal community conversation. The one thing that brought everyone together was they were open to listening, despite different associations with domestic violence. At the end, HarborCOV staff handed out purple souvenirs to represent October’s Domestic Violence Awareness month. Tara Vocino may be reached at printjournalist1@gmail.com I WILL HELP CREATE NEW AND INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS FOR OUR CHILDREN Please consider me for One of Your 6 Votes on Tuesday, Nov. 5th Revere Police Domestic Victim Advocate Gladys Agneta works part-time at the station, speaks Spanish fluently, and helps to process restraining orders. HarborCOV Program Director Jasmine Perez-Pimentel said they offer temporary housing for survivors and confidential, free, voluntary services. Anthony D’Ambrosio SCHOOL COMMITTEE A NEW VOICE WITH FRESH IDEAS! paid political advertisemen
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