On Sept. 10, Title IX of Northwestern State University of Louisiana hosted In Her Shoes, an event to raise awareness for domestic and dating violence. This event helped students recognize the signs of domestic and dating abuse through a simulation, as well as how to better protect oneself.
The event is held every September, recognizing Suicide Prevention Month. The event centered around a domestic and dating violence simulation was heartfelt and included real life victims who shared their experiences.
Dating violence includes sexual abuse, physical abuse or the threat of such abuse committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of an intimate nature with the victim.
“Some of the red flags in a relationship are when someone never wants you to be away from them, keeping you in their presence at all times and/or not wanting you to be around other people,” Kinshanna Fontenot, deputy Title IX coordinator, said.
Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior that happens in a relationship where one uses physical and/or emotional behaviors to control and harm their partner. Dating and domestic violence has no time or age limit. It can happen to young, old, single, engaged and married couples.
E’miya Hall is a freshman nursing major that attended In Her Shoes. “One thing I would tell my peers about what I learned is that domestic and dating violence happens more often than we think and that it happens to males and females,” Hall stated.
Students had the opportunity to choose their next steps in the simulation. Some things that students had to remember while choosing the next steps were that no choice was going to be easy and every decision that was made had a consequence.
“It gave me a different viewpoint and made me realize that is not always that easy to leave because, when choosing to leave in the simulation, they were followed and stalked by the abuser,” Hall said.
Following the simulation, students and organizers gathered in a circle and discussed the different struggles and consequences they faced based upon the choices they were given or chose.
“One message I would give would be to always respect one another and their boundaries and to avoid forcing your issues onto your partner through harmful behaviors like domestic and dating violence,” Julie Powell, director of Title IX compliance and Title IX coordinator, said.
This simulation helped students understand what struggles domestic violence survivors go through and how overwhelming these situations can be. In each stage students had to decide whether to stay, leave or seek help for their relationship.
In Her Shoes did more than raise awareness—it proved that the best way to learn is through education. It helped students see things from a different perspective and feel deeply. Students took time to think about their next decisions during the simulation, and this event left a lasting impact while making students want to learn more. The change begins with listening, and continues with the support of a community that understands.
