Survivor and judge team up for presentation to teenagers

The presenter at a forum stressed that domestic violence is a problem in both poor and affluent communities.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- Dianne Schwartz once knew a Tunisian man who made a living by selling live scorpions to laboratories for research. At first, the man herded scorpions into a hole, covered the hole with grass, then set the grass on fire.
He believed that the scorpions would be too scared by the fire and smoke to escape, and he was right. But his plan had unintended consequences.
Instead of trying to escape, the scorpions killed themselves with their own stingers.
"That is what happens to beaten women. They don't recognize a smoke screen," Schwartz said. "They just believe what the abuser says is the truth."
Schwartz, a survivor of domestic violence, gave the scorpion analogy Friday during a presentation about abuse to Canfield High School students. She also is a presenter for "Peace at Home," a program founded by Mahoning County Court Judge Loren Popio that is designed to educate people about domestic abuse.
Judge Popio also participated in the presentation.
"It's not getting any better, it's getting worse," Schwartz said. "We're losing a lot of people because of domestic violence."
October is domestic violence awareness month. Schwartz and Judge Popio are expected to attend a candlelight vigil at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Youngstown's Stambaugh Auditorium to remember the victims of domestic violence.
Hoping to prevent it
Schwartz said that she hoped to "plant seeds" by talking to the Canfield students.
"We're trying to hit them before they commit a domestic violence incident," Judge Popio stressed. Schwartz added that one out of every three teenage girls have been victims of domestic violence.
The two spoke to about 25 students in Tara Kalina's sociology class. The class has been studying domestic abuse.
Schwartz told the students that she had been married to a male model in Arizona who began beating her a month after the marriage began. The beatings continued for about a year, until Schwartz and her son escaped by jumping out of a boat and swimming to safety.
She later wrote a book about her experiences and founded Educating Against Domestic Violence Inc., a Boardman-based organization that teaches women how to know if they are at risk of becoming a victim of abuse.
Schwartz told the Canfield students not to ignore feelings that something could be wrong in a relationship. She also stressed that the children of a family that has suffered from domestic abuse are more likely to become abuse victims or abusers, and that domestic abuse is a problem in both poor and affluent communities.
"Money doesn't have anything to do with abuse," Schwartz said.
J.D. Eicher, a 16-year-old sophomore in Kalina's class, called the presentation an "eye-opener."
"Seeing a person who goes through it, it just brings it right to home," he said.
Junior Tiffany Gardner, 16, who also is in Kalina's class, said that after learning about domestic violence in school and from Schwartz, she's decided to help abuse victims when she graduates.
"It's made me want to do something about it," Gardner said. "It's such a big issue that goes uncovered."
hill@vindy.com