| Anti-Abuse Billboards Target Polygamists | |
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By Julie Rose KCPW - Utah Public Radio | |
(KCPW News) New billboards are cropping up along highways in southern Utah aimed at polygamist communities. The signs urge people to call a domestic abuse hotline, and Utah Attorney General's spokesman Paul Murphy says the wording was chosen carefully. The signs read "When it hurts at home" and include a number to call for help. Murphy says the original text was "There's no excuse for abuse," but law enforcement officials have found the concept of abuse is different in polygamous communities. "Ask a child from a polygamous family if he has been abused and he may say ‘no,'" says Murphy. "But ask that same child if he's ever been hit or hurt by a family member and the answer changes to ‘yes.'" Murphy says there isn't necessarily more abuse in polygamous communities, but many of them have limited access to resources. "Without television, newspapers or radio, they may be getting information only from religious leaders," adds Murphy. The Utah and Arizona Attorney General's Office have also created new materials to assist law enforcement officers and social workers helping abuse victims from polygamous backgrounds. | |
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kcpw.org Originally published June 19, 2006 | |
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