Kings Slava Voynov to Stand Trial for Domestic Violence
Defenseman Slava Voynov went through a preliminary hearing today to see if there was enough evidence to stand trial. It was about two hours of back and forth (with many pauses for the judge to make decisions on the media), but eventually Judge Guzman ruled that there was enough evidence to move forward with a trial. Voynov’s arraignment will be on December 29.
There were a lot of horrific details that came out of this trial, none of which I will post here due to trigger warnings. But you can find them on twitter rather readily if you really want to see them.
What is most important about this news is to reiterate the importance of supporting domestic violence victims. That includes giving them a platform to speak and simply being a willing ear who will listen. Often victims have been isolated from family and friends and many escape from abusive situations with nothing more than the clothes on their back. They typically are alone, scared and are overwhelmed with the biggest decision they’ve ever made.
Typically when a high profile domestic violence issue is in the news, the Domestic Violence Hotline sees an uptick in calls.
— Wrap Around Curl (@wraparoundcurl) December 15, 2014
So if you can, perhaps donate a few dollars today to help support them so they can help others http://t.co/dqXzSBLT6i
— Wrap Around Curl (@wraparoundcurl) December 15, 2014
If you want to help, you can also visit http://hockeyfightsdv.tumblr.com/about. One simple donation can change someone’s life in the most meaningful way. Whether you want to donate money or supplies, every little drop in the bucket counts.
For those not comfortable donating money or goods, even donating your time to shelters badly in need of able bodies is hugely helpful. And if you can’t do any of the aforementioned for whatever reason (lack of resources, time, age restrictions, etc.), just spreading the word helps a lot.
Canadian residents can visit http://www.violenceunsilenced.com/resources/ for additional resources.
As a community we can help victims by being there when they need it most. By speaking up and giving survivors a chance to share their stories, we can break the stigma of talking about domestic violence.
