Writer A group of businesses, health organizations and state agencies wants to help employers prevent domestic violence from crossing over into the workplace. The Corporate Citizenship Initiative, part of the S.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, was formed in October and is one of 25 groups in the country that is developing workplace policies to help domestic abuse victims. Members of the group include representatives from 14 businesses and agencies across the state, such as Alltel, Verizon Wireless, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, the S.C. Department of Social Services and several employee assistance programs in the area. The coalition has developed posters and other informational materials that can be ordered and posted for employees to see. Speakers are also available for on-site programs.
Employers have much to lose when their workers are having problems at home.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, husbands and boyfriends commit more than 10,000 acts of violence against women in the workplace every year. More women than men are victims of domestic abuse, said Vicki Bourus, executive director of the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, a statewide membership coalition. The FBI estimates that each year 6 million women are victims of domestic violence. About 200,000 men are victims of domestic abuse. I think so often we see it as this man s problem or this woman s problem, Bourus said.