Toolkit with Report Form - Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic ...

Section seven
Honoring Victims
Professionals working in community crisis
response agencies and organizations
recognize that there is sometimes a need
for communities to continue to honor and
remember those lost and/or affected by a
traumatic event. Community leaders can
work with these professionals to find ways
to provide such memorials and to do so in
a supportive way that promotes healing
for all groups within the community and
those more directly affected. Conversely,
there may be special events, time markers,
anniversaries and criminal justice activity
that stir emotional reactions in ways that are
once again overwhelming, even if planned
or anticipated. Community leaders should try
to anticipate and prepare for such events;
contact PCADV for technical assistance
and local crisis response professionals for
community assistance and support.
Always consider the wishes of the
surviving family and include them in the
planning if they choose.
The ways in which communities honor victims
vary as widely as the make-up of each
community. Public or private memorials? Or
maybe nothing at all? Primary consideration
rests with the family of the direct victim(s); in
some situations, families choose or refuse to
acknowledge certain aspects of a person’s
life and may not acknowledge the domestic
violence at all. Don’t be afraid to be creative,
just anticipate there may be some opposition.
Considerations when making decisions about
memorials:
◗ What would the victim(s) have
preferred? Who would best know the
victim’s wishes?
◗ What does the family want?
◗ What do other survivors want?
◗ The purpose of the memorial?
◗ Location
◗ Audience
◗ Cost
Types of memorials:
◗ Living memorials such as gardens
or remembrance centers. Some living
memorials are now happening online.
◗ Prayer or religious or spiritual services
are common for those who rely on a
higher being for strength through difficult
times.
◗ Permanent memorials serve to
remember and honor victims in future
generations.
◗ Marches and speak-outs provide the
opportunity for actual voices to be heard
and generate public awareness in the
aftermath of a traumatic event.
◗ Races and walks continue to honor the
victim(s); they also provide an opportunity
for community education and usually
include a fundraising component.
Victims and survivors often have
compelling stories that resonate with the
public in immeasurable ways.
page 52
When Crisis Strikes | Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence | 2012