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Was The Bruised Young Woman I Saw in A Restaurant A Victim of Relationship Violence?
The Possibility Leaves Me Wondering What I, Or Others, Can Do to Help
The young woman in this image looks remarkably like a young woman I recently saw in a restaurant. Only the young woman I saw had serious, fresh-looking bruises on her face. Disturbing to imagine, yes?
She walked nearby, about 10 steps behind a tall young man, as they were led to a table. I glanced at her, and then looked again because of the condition of her face. She looked me in the eyes. And kept walking.
Before and as I was leaving, I racked my brain about a possible way to connect with her, out of concern. Maybe she was in a car accident, or some other mishap. I obviously didn’t know. My instincts told me otherwise, from the slim set of cues and clues I observed.
I knew it was not a good idea for me to try to interact with her or slip her a note or any such thing. Not with her “date” sitting across from her. Upon leaving, I stood outside the restaurant for a while, still wondering if and what I could do. And didn’t come up with any feasible ideas. So, I left, not knowing who she was, where she went from there, what her situation was, or what her fate or even her immediate future might be.
It’s hard to see a real person, right in front of you, who may be in a dire and dangerous situation, not knowing what the hell you can do to help.
It is not breaking news that domestic violence is a big problem, nationally and globally.
If we personally know a victim of domestic violence, we can offer support and encouragement. We can seek out information about ways to help them. And can hopefully do something for them. Until they acquire the inner resolve and the means to make the necessary changes for a safer life, free of abuse and violence.
If we encounter a stranger whom we see or suspect is experiencing relationship violence, it’s a bit trickier. Whether it is safe and/or feasible to offer them help depends largely on the situation and circumstances. There is contact information on the National Domestic Violence Hotline website (link below). We can consult them, if we have the opportunity to do so in the situation.
