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HJHS leads march against violence today
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Posted on Oct 26 2000
A youth group will display its strong opposition to domestic and all forms of violence today through a village-wide Students Against Violence March to begin at the Hopwood Junior High School.
Comprised of students, teachers, and parents, the rally starts at 8:00 a.m. in support of the Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October.
The CNMI Youth Center for Music and Performing Arts and members of the Islands of Beauty Youth Center are also expected to participate in the campaign promoting peace and unity throughout the islands.
“Violence is a prevailing problem throughout the community and we’re taking a stand against it through these efforts,” said Sam Joyner, lead organizer of the youth march.
The group is also planning a Youth Against Drug March in December with youths from both private and public schools.
In the CNMI, cases of family violence have increased in 1999 with over 461 primary victims and 411 secondary victims, usually children.
Chamorros still top the list of ethnic groups with a total of 530 victims while Filipinos place second with 210 cases in 1999.
The Division of Family Court recorded about 432 temporary restraining orders issued on civil protection cases and 427 temporary restraining orders on criminal domestic violence cases between 1997 and 1999.
The Attorney General’s Office filed 236 cases on domestic violence before the Superior Court in the same year. The cases filed, however, do not include the number of complaints reported to the Department of Public Safety.
In 1999, DPS received a total of 989 domestic and family violence complaints. In the first quarter of this year, some 166 complaints have been lodged with the DPS.
