New Hope for Polygamists to Receive Help without Fear or Threat
For Immediate Release
February 12, 2004
Contact
Linda Kelsch
Community Action Director
NEW HOPE FOR POLYGAMISTS TO RECEIVE HELP
WITHOUT FEAR OR THREAT
Abuse exists in every segment of society, including within polygamous communities. No matter where abuse occurs, even one case is one too many.
Expanding the Domestic Violence Hotline and other services will benefit all Utahns, and can be a resource for those living in polygamous families who may find themselves victims of abuse.
We thank Mark Shurtleff and service providers from the Domestic Violence Hotline and the Dove Center for finally creating responsible solutions rather than additional barriers for polygamous people.
We are hopeful for the success of this positive new approach which may enable polygamists to receive needed services that are generally available to other minority cultures.
“This is not about polygamy, rather it is about helping those in need, regardless of who they are,” says Linda Kelsch, Community Action Director of PRINCIPLE VOICES OF POLYGAMY, an advocacy and awareness organization seeking to provide equal opportunities and resources without fear or threat to some 30,000 men, women and children living in polygamous cultures in the Intermountain states.
Anne Wilde, a Founding Board Member of PRINCIPLE VOICES, says, “The Domestic Violence Hotline workers recognize that occasionally polygamists need help like everyone else. They are sincere in their desire to help and will give assistance without bias or prejudice, assuring the anonymity of all callers.”
Linda Kelsch states: “People need to understand that many polygamists still fear the state because of the government raids against polygamy in the 1940s and 1950s. Many parents in today’s polygamous families suffered through the terror of those raids as children, and those memories are not soon forgotten. It is important to build trust between state agencies and the polygamous communities, so that abuse – if it occurs – will be addressed in a healthier way.” She adds that: “We are doing everything we can to help the state ensure that all Utahns, polygamists and non-polygamists alike, have the same opportunity to receive the services and protections they need.”
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