HUTCHINSON, Kan. — October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which first began in 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence as a Day of Unity to connect battered women’s advocates across the country.

The number of domestic violence cases seems to be on the rise. Donna Davis, the executive director of BrightHouse in Hutchinson, talked about the latest available numbers of domestic cases in the area.

“In Reno County in 2017, there were 822 calls to HPD about domestic violence,” Davis said. “There were 478 arrests, so just think about Reno County, that’s a significant number of arrests for domestic violence and that’s up from 2016, so it’s not becoming less prevalent, it’s becoming more prevalent.”

So what makes people become abusers? Davis says there are a number of factors that drive some to act violently toward someone they supposedly care about.

“Drugs, alcohol, poverty, lack of education, lack of hope and an inability to cope with those things in their lives,” Davis said. “Domestic violence is primarily a power and control issue for an abuser. For some reason, that person has a need to have control and that’s how they get their power and control, through physical violence, intimidation, through wanting to control the other person.”

She adds that, most times, the victim will go back to the abuser as many as seven times before they finally leave. Why is that?

“They have all the money, all the power, they have the vehicle, the credit card and they have the lease in their name,” Davis said. “They have taken their birth certificate, driver’s license and social security card.”

When a suspect in a domestic abuse case appears in court, the judge will usually order no contact with the alleged victim. The victim can also get a protection from abuse order through the court system. However, Davis says some won’t seek one out of fear.

“If the abuser has threatened to kill them and the kids, you give a second thought to leaving, is it worth that,” Davis said. In 2017, she says there were 38 domestic violence homicides in Kansas.

BrightHouse helps victims of domestic violence and has an emergency shelter and a 24-hour crisis line at 800-701-3630. For more information on the services BrightHouse provides, call 620-665-3630.