Posted: 2:46 PM Apr 5, 2012
Reporter: Sarah Robarge

Harmony Place Breaking the Silence

It's a crime that too often, is not talked about.

Sexual abuse and domestic violence.

Some groups in Front Royal are trying to break that silence and raise awareness as part of sexual abuse and domestic violence awareness month.

Folks at Harmony Place, a local women's shelter in Front Royal say one of the biggest misconceptions is that in their tiny community, you don't see sexual abuse or domestic violence.

In fact, they see women and children every day who are being abused.

"When the family is the foundation of your life and that is destroyed by sexual assault, that leaves implications for a very long time," says Melissa DeDomenico-Payne.

Harmony Place Director Melissa DeDomenico-Payne says, she meets the victims of this every day.

"Some stories are very horrifying in terms of people that victimize toddlers and children and in this community, we're not immune to it at all," she adds.

Melissa says a sad reality is that one in three to four girls and one in five to six boys will be sexually assaulted by the time they turn 18, facts that make a month of public awareness so important.

"We see people who have invited known offenders back into their family so you know you have to be very cautious. If you are a single parent who's dating, if you have people in your family that are questionable, if you have somebody coming to you and saying well that happened a long time ago, still be weary of that person," she adds.

Just one floor below harmony place is A Second Chance Thrift, a non-profit that benefits the shelter. Leaders here say many of their volunteers and even their shoppers share their stories.

"There was a woman who had traveled from West Virginia and she came and in and when she heard that we benefited the women's shelter she got tears in her eyes and she said where I'm from in my town, there's no place for us to go when this happens, I've been a victim of it for ten years," says store manager, Meghan Moeslein.

Both these non-profits say shedding light on these dark crimes is the first step.

"You know you have to be very cautious," Melissa adds.

Harmony Place is reminding folks that all of their services, their shelter their counseling, all of that is free.

Their hotline is 540-635-9062.

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