HARTFORD, CONN (WTIC Radio)-State officials and those on the front lines assisting victims, raised the purple flag over the state capitol, acknowledging Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Officials said 40-thousand residents in Connecticut suffer, admitting that not everyone reports incidents, fearing retribution and stigma. The figures show domestic violence affect one in four women and one in seven men.
Meghan Scanlon, the President and CEO of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said she and her husband, State Comptroller Sean Scanlon, helped her best friend through such an incident.
State Senator Christine Cohen(D-Guilford) said more works needs to be done on the coerced debt measure. That's a fraudulent account by an abuser, opened because of force or threats. Cohen said the measure passed in the Senate this legislative session, but failed in the house.
Lt. Governor Susan Bysciewicz said steps were taken this session to tighten gun laws, including a cooling-off period to purchase a weapon and expanding Ethan's law for safe gun storage. That measure is named after Ethan Song.
He died after mishandling a .357 magnum pistol at a neighbor's house in Guilford in January 2018.
Senator Richard Blumenthal said domestic abuse is a problem created by men. He said men have to teach their sons that violence is never the answer. He said proof is shelters are 50-percent over capacity.
