HealthWise: Domestic Violence
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According to the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, battering is more than physical abuse-it is a pattern of domination enforced by violence. In such relationships, batterers try to control every piece of their victims' lives, from the friends they see to the clothes they wear. Since the beginning of 2005, 57 people in North Carolina have died as a result of domestic violence; 82 were killed last year.

North Carolina is trying hard to protect its citizens against domestic violence. This year the state appropriated more than $4.5 million through the Council for Women/Commission on Domestic Violence grants to all of the recognized domestic violence programs available in North Carolina's 100 counties. The Council provides oversight for the funds appropriated by the General Assembly for this service.

In August 2005, when the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 1029 into law , North Carolina became the second state in the nation to enact comprehensive legislation to protect victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking against tenant discrimination. This bill protects victims from discrimination by landlords and provides a statutory framework for allowing victims to change locks or terminate their leases when necessary to escape from a perpetrator. This year the General Assembly also passed House Bill 569 from the House Select Committee on Domestic Violence to create a permanent Joint Legislative Committee on Domestic Violence that will examine domestic violence issues in order to make recommendations to the General Assembly on ways to reduce incidences of domestic violence and to provide additional assistance to victims.

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, UNC-TV presents Healthwise: Domestic Violence. This program explores North Carolina's groundbreaking statewide efforts to reduce domestic violence and mitigate the effects domestic violence has on its victims. UNC-TV reporter Christine Rogers moderates a panel of domestic violence experts, including policy makers, activists, outreach professionals, law enforcement officers, and victims of domestic violence who discuss this behavior and answer viewer questions.

Click here for Panelists