A panel of lawyers and advocates at Kansas University expressed hope and frustration on Wednesday for helping address, prosecute and eventually prevent domestic violence.

“The cases can be very emotional,” said Kansas Legal Services attorney Bethany Roberts.

To help, the panel told an audience at the Kansas Union that two things must happen: They must make victims more comfortable, and they must work together as a community to battle domestic violence.

The process of working together as a legal and support community has already begun and could be fairly easy to continue on a larger scale, the panel said.

Meetings between entities such as Women’s Transitional Care Services and the office of Douglas County Dist. Atty. Charles Branson have increased recently, allowing court advocate Elyse Towey and Assistant Dist. Atty. Eve Kemple to meet to discuss domestic violence issues.

Kemple said the system can often leave victims of abuse feeling confused and alone, trapped in the workings of criminal justice.

“It revictimizes the victims,” she said.

Cindy Riling, a victim/witness coordinator for the district attorney’s office, said discussions about more interaction between those who counsel and comfort victims and those who prosecute abusers had already helped.

“We make sure we’re not going to belittle them in the process,” she said.

But entering the legal process can still be frightening or overwhelming for victims of domestic crimes, the panel said. Cooperation between advocates and prosecutors is important only if victims feel comfortable taking the first step toward seeking help.

There, the issue becomes complicated.

“The process is very intimidating,” Towey said.

A change in culture would be necessary to fight against that intimidation, she said – a change that would allow victims, usually women, to stand up and speak out without the fear of financial or physical repercussions.

The change can’t always happen case to case, although the advocates try. But the change must be learned, the panel said.

Riling said more education was needed to educate people that they the have the right to stand up.

Without that kind of change in the mindsets of the community, victims will continue to fear facing their abuser or become locked in the psychological trappings of victimization, and abusers will continue to abuse.

But there is some hope for change, the panel said. By increasing cooperation between advocates and prosecutors, they can better squash the fear Kemple said defense attorneys often try to instill in victims who want to testify against abusers.

The can also inform victims of housing and employment options after a protective order is in place.

To help, the panel suggested and backed a citywide domestic violence task force that would address the issues of victims and help lead the charge to change the community.

“Establishing a citywide task force is key,” Kemple said.

Call for help

For help with domestic violence:

¢ Women’s Transitional Care Services Crisis Line: (785) 843-3333 or (800) 770-3030

¢ Kansas Legal Services: (800) 723-6953

¢ Douglas County District Attorney’s Office: (785) 841-0211