It’s not something people like to talk about.

It’s hard to see amidst the beauty of Whidbey Island something dark hiding in the shadows, but the island is not immune to this social ill.

Every day victims of domestic violence suffer in silence, and their batterers blend like chameleons into the small and tight-knit island community.

“I think a lot of people think that we don’t have domestic violence here on the island. But we do,” said Margie Porter.

Porter is the director of CADA, Citizens Against Domestic and Sexual Abuse.

CADA was formed in 1979 by a group of community members who were concerned about domestic violence.

“They got together and decided to do something,” Porter said.

Staff at CADA and Island County law enforcement organizations aren’t afraid to admit there is a problem with domestic violence on the island, including the South End.

CADA, local law enforcement, and the Island County Prosecutor’s Office are committed to working together with each other and the community to address issues of abuse.

“It takes everybody to make change,” Porter said. “If we don’t all work together, it’s going to be harder.”

The first step is acknowledging the problem.

CROSSING BOUNDARIES

Domestic violence can be especially difficult for authorities to deal with because it involves families and people in relationships. The crime can be difficult to acknowledge because it affects people who are supposed to care about each other.

But until the situation comes out into the open, little can be done to stop it.

“Talk about it. Admit it,” said Jan Smith, spokeswoman for the Island County Sheriff’s Office.

“People don’t talk about it, but it’s always there,” she said.

“It crosses all boundaries.”

South End police officers typically respond to more than one domestic violence-related call per day. And the number of domestic dispute calls received at the Island County Sheriff’s Office has been rising steadily.

The sheriff’s department answered 637 domestic dispute calls in 2005. That’s up from 516 calls in 2000, and almost double the amount of calls in 1996, when 378 complaints were received.

The number of domestic violence prosecutions has remained relatively constant in recent years, however.

The Island County Prosecutor’s Office conducted 162 domestic violence-related cases in 2001; 14 of those cases were felonies, 15 were juvenile crimes and 122 were misdemeanors.

Last year, 146 domestic violence cases were prosecuted. Of those, 24 were felony-level cases, seven were juvenile and the rest were misdemeanors.

As of Monday, 110 domestic violence prosecutions had taken place in 2006; 15 were felonies and seven were juvenile-related.

Police and public officials deal with domestic violence situations involving community members of all economic and professional backgrounds.

“It can be persons in great prominence in the community, and it can be persons who grew up with domestic violence in their homes,” Smith said.

Sheriff Mike Hawley said the domestic disputes he sees are not always spouse-against-spouse situations.

They can be boyfriend versus girlfriend, mother versus son, grandparent versus grandchild, and so on.

CADA has been working to reach out to the community to let people know that no matter who they are, CADA is there to help.

“We want people to know that we are an all-inclusive agency, and we’re here to serve everyone,” Porter said.

“People can reach us anytime, and we want to help,” she said. .said.

Hawley, Smith and other involved in the local justice system agree with CADA about the effectiveness of forming partnerships to address domestic violence.

“We’ve been working with CADA since their inception,” Hawley said. “We also work with CPS (Child Protective Services) very closely.”

One agency alone does not have the resources to deal with a problem as large as domestic violence.

“Domestic violence doesn’t affect just one agency. It’s not a police problem, it’s really a community problem,” Hawley said. “So we have to work together — not only the prosecutors, but the court system and the public defenders office, CPS, the list goes on. We have to work on it together.”

REPORTING VIOLENCE

An increase in the number of domestic violence situations reported both at CADA and to the police in the past few years may actually be a positive sign, experts say.

“We’ve actually seen our numbers increase tremendously. I think we have more clients from down here on the South End as well,” CADA director Porter said. “I believe that’s not because there’s more violence, but because we’re letting the community know that we’re here to help — and they’re coming to us.”

Hawley said a similar phenomenon is occurring in the sheriff’s department.

“We might have a little bit higher rate because we have the facilities to report it,” Hawley said. “We’ve been very successful through the years.”

“I think we have an excellent system right now compared to other jurisdictions — very pro-active. We have a lot of experienced people working in the field right now,” Hawley said. “The biggest problem that I see right now is the fear to report.”

Hawley said not only are the victims of domestic violence hesitant to report the crime, but friends and loved ones also tend to turn their heads away.

“A trend I see is people who are middle-aged. Their children are now married and in relationships, and they see the abuse going on but they’re afraid to get involved,” he said.

“We can’t do anything about it until we know about it,” Hawley added. “The quicker we can intervene in those situations, the increase of the chance we can resolve these things successfully.”

A NATIONAL PROBLEM

Almost 4 million women are beaten every year by their male partners in America. Although the first violent incident may not be severe, once battering begins, it tends to increase in severity and frequency. It can lead to a permanent injury, or worse.

Because the pattern of domestic violence escalates, it is important to address it early on.

“We try to get involved as early as possible,” Hawley said. “We can nip this in the bud when it is verbal. That prevents people from being assaulted.”

Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks said the majority of domestic violence incidents that he sees are simple assault or forth-degree assault — cases involving no serious injuries.

“We take them very seriously too, though, because that’s an early intervention opportunity,” Banks said.

The prosecutor said it is important to get involved in situations that involve acts like shoving, biting or throwing something — before it escalates into higher levels of violence; broken bones, choking, murder.

ATTITUDE CHANGE

The attitude toward domestic violence in criminal justice agencies has changed greatly over the years.

“In the bad old days the police would show up and the abuser would say, ‘Oh, everything’s OK,’ and the police would go away,” Banks said.

Now, there is a critical action that takes place after domestic violence occurs and police are called.

“Mandatory arrest is one of the smartest things the Legislature ever did in addressing this sort of thing,” Banks said.

First of all, he said, it separates the two people involved from a violent situation, and it gives the victim a chance to think about what has happened.

“When I started we didn’t have mandatory arrests,” Sheriff Hawley said.

Hawley recalled when his father-in-law was an officer in the Seattle Police Department, and police wouldn’t even respond to domestic violence calls.

“They had the philosophy of whatever happens behind close doors, it’s not our business, it’s not the government’s business.”

But the severity of the problem became so glaring it pushed the system into action.

“Law enforcement’s understanding has really grown over the years about how deal with victims and how to provide services,” Smith said.

When people are arrested for domestic violence, their apparent victims are advised about ways they can protect themselves, including getting notified when the person who has been arrested is released from jail.

CADA advocates often speak to the victims of domestic violence. They can act as a liaison between the survivor and the justice system to help explain the larger scope of the situation.

Law enforcement professionals realize the difficult situation the survivor is put in, and welcome the help of CADA.

“Sometimes we’re intimidating,” Banks said. “They’re already in a terrifying situation, and that’s something we have be to conscious of.”

PERPETRATORS

Police take the aggressors in domestic violence situations to jail.

Most stay there overnight. They have a mandatory court appearance, and a two-week no-contact order is issued.

If the crime is not severe, the person may be released.

If he or she lives with the victim, the police can serve as escorts as the person picks up personal items before finding another place to stay.

What follows depends on the circumstances of the crime.

First-time offenders can avoid jail time if they are placed in a stringent program that can last up to two years.

Sanctions escalate quickly. If the batterer commits is a second or third offense, he or she can face serious jail time.

For some batterers, Banks said, this experience can be their wake-up call — they must change their behavior.

“I do think a lot of times the threat of criminal sanctions in jail gets them to recognize that they’re doing something wrong,” he said.

For others, it takes a lot more.

Those who have dealt with domestic violence realize that the batterer’s problem is more than a bad temper.

“People with domestic violence issues have deeper problems,” Banks said.

Issues associated with abusers are based on the belief they have the right to control another.

Before they can change, they must admit they have a problem and have a strong desire to change it.

The process can involve counseling and domestic violence treatment, and more.

The underlying causes of domestic violence are also addressed.

Substance abuse is involved in about half of all domestic violence. Alcohol itself does not cause violence, but batterers often use drugs or alcohol as an excuse or permission to batter and then to avoid responsibility for their actions.

FALSE LOYALTY

The nature of domestic violence can make it difficult to provide justice to those hurt by abuse.

Unfortunately, Banks said, the victims of domestic violence doesn’t always cooperate with the courts, or testify against the accused.

“That’s the most difficult part on the criminal justice side of it,” Banks said. “These cases get very difficult because so much of the time we don’t have a cooperative victim.”

Without the testimony of the victim, it is difficult for prosecutors to obtain enough evidence to convict those responsible.

“I feel like we’re letting them down, but I’m not sure there’s much more we could do,” Banks said.

Banks said it’s important that victims of domestic violence realize the scope of the crime.

“In the long run there are a lot benefits for them to cooperate with the authorities and get out of the situation,” he said.

No one knows exactly why someone who has been beaten stays with the person who is hurting them.

It could be a number of reasons.

Sometimes, the person has grown up with abuse and it is all they know. It’s a cycle that experts don’t want to see continue.

“That’s something we are concerned about, because we don’t want to see their kids grow up and fall into that same pattern,” Banks said.

A lot of times victims go back because of the children, or because of financial issues, when they feel like they just can’t afford to stay away.

And sometimes the abuser coerces the victim back.

Some victims fall back into the same situation because they really care about their abuser, said Porter, the director of CADA.

“A lot of times they say it’s because of love,” Porter said.

The batterer might try to convince the victim that is their fault for the violence, or they may try to convince them that they won’t hurt them again.

“That’s almost always not the case,” Porter said.

Once a violent situation has begun it can escalate quickly. Their is no limit on how far the violence can go.

“They can die,” Porter said. “And it happens.”

GETTING HELP

When people who are experiencing domestic violence go to CADA, they are often at a breaking point.

“By the time they come to us, they’ve usually exhausted all other options,” Porter said.

The number-one concern for CADA advocates is the safety of their callers, and advocates adhere to strict privacy rules.

“Clients have to understand, and victims have to understand, that they are safe and it’s confidential,” CADA advocate Donna Stevenson said. “Otherwise, they won’t come to us.”

CADA does everything it can to protect those who are victims in violent situations.

If needed, immediate action is taken.

“Safety is the utmost issue for us.” Porter said. “If someone calls and needs to flee a situation, we are going to get them somewhere — and we have the means to do that.”

CADA maintains a 24-hour hotline that can help with everything from relocating to a new home, to discussing available options, to providing support groups, or just listening.

They don’t try to talk anybody into anything, or attempt to change them. CADA employees and volunteers said they strive never to blame, judge, or ask how someone could have gotten themselves into such a situation.

Ultimately, CADA wants domestic violence survivors to see that there is hope, and to know that life can get better.

“We want them to become independent and self-sufficient,” Porter said.

BECOMING SURVIVORS

Over the years CADA has helped thousands of people across the island overcome their struggles with domestic violence.

They are no longer victims. They are survivors.

“Survivors of domestic violence must go through a healing process,” Porter said. “It’s something they live with for the rest of their lives.”

It takes a lot of courage and strength to get help, and the experience of domestic violence can cause long-term trauma. But breaking free of violence is a freedom unlike any other.

Advocates said to really tackle domestic violence, a new approach must be taken.

Instead of reacting to domestic violence, community members, non-profit groups and governmental organizations must be proactive in the battle against abuse.

In addition to bringing the issue of domestic violence into the open and working on its underlying causes, a focus must also be placed on future generations.

CADA has started working with children. The organization has a full-time youth and education coordinator, and it’s begun work in schools. It’s also increasing outreach and community programs.

“One of the things that people talk a lot about is the eradication of domestic violence,” Porter said. “The only way we are going to be able to do that is by focusing on prevention.”