Advocates come together for domestic violence training in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Going into the weekend, Safenest opened its doors to people wanting to learn more about the local fight against domestic violence.

It brought in curious people like Tim Veit of Dad Inc.

“We’re a fatherhood program that was put together by the International Church of Las Vegas,” Veit said.

“Our goal is to build family resiliency by making sure fathers are connected with their kids and if domestic violence has in some way affected that we want to be part of that solution and that restoration.”

Safenest partnered with the Alliance for Hope to host a two-day training session, educating participants on various topics related to domestic violence.

One of the points of emphasis was breaking down strangulation assaults.

“Even on a lethal strangulation, it’s only visible to the naked eye 50% of the time,” Safenest CEO Liz Ortenberger said.

“So a strangulation exam is incredibly important for two reasons. One is subdermal cameras and imaging that can show the damage and the bruising to the neck that our naked eye would not see. It also alerts the victim of the need for further medical care.”

The training session opened Veit’s eyes to the efforts being put in by domestic violence prevention leaders in the valley.

It hit home for a man working with children and families every day.

“We’re learning about how childhood trauma will affect later in life. It’s that later in life that we’re recognizing with fathers that are coming to us with childhood trauma that may actually influence them with regards to domestic violence,” Veit said.

“Just being able to understand that and being able to provide the best possible service and coaching to our dads, that’s what’s priceless to us.”

Safenest leaders spoke to FOX5 a couple of weeks ago, highlighting that children of a domestic violence household have a 76% chance of continuing that cycle as they grow up.