SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – The Stop the Violence Conference on Domestic Violence returns to Springfield on Monday.

It is hosted by a variety of partners to talk about the state and resources of domestic violence in our community.

“This was a result of the increase in incidents of domestic violence in our community. So the first conference was in 2013 and we are very fortunate to have some really great sponsors and planning committee members to help bring this issue to light and be able to bring this conference to the community for free,” said Kristen Snell, director of engagement and partnerships with Harmony House.

Conference required registration. Held at the eFactory in Jefferson on Mondays at 8:00am

Snell says this is crucial for community members to educate themselves.

“We always say that an educated community is a safer community. So the more we can talk about this issue, the more awareness we bring, and the more we create safe spaces in the community for victims and survivors to come forward,” Snell said.

Springfield-Greene County has some of the highest reported cases of domestic violence in the state. In 2022, Springfield Police Department reported nearly 2,500 cases of domestic violence.

“Springfield, Green County has some of the highest rates of domestic violence in the state of Missouri. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause, whether it’s incidents of domestic violence or more people coming forward to report those incidents, but we’re lucky to be in a community that’s very collaborative. So we have a lot of people coming to the table to address this issue,” Snell said.

There are many partnerships in Greene County to address the issue.

“We have agencies like us, Harmony House. We also have the Greene County Family Justice Center, which is a multidisciplinary team of different community agencies housed in one location where victims can access multiple services in one place, eliminating the need to having to drive around town to different agencies. We also have the center for victims, we have the advocacy center for children. We have multiple agencies in the city that all come to the table on a regular basis to address this issue,” Snell said.

The conference will discuss a variety of things with attendees.

“There will be knowledge that maybe other agencies can implement or just the community learning different dynamics of domestic violence that might help them recognize the signs of someone they might know more quickly. And then we also have a panel that will talk about prevention education in the community and how the community can get involved to help us get the message out,” Snell said.

Snell encourages everyone, whether you’re attending the conference or not, to educate yourself about domestic violence.

“The more educated we are, the better able we are to support survivors. So whether someone is disclosing for the first time, or maybe they’ve disclosed before in the past, we want to be able to help them through whatever the journey looks like for them, whether it’s leaving, staying in the relationship, the more we’re going to support . give survivors a better chance of being able to break that cycle of abuse,” Snell said.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a domestic violence situation, you can contact Harmony House 24/7 via call or chat. You can find this information Here.

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