The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, Haven House and the Wayne Police Department will be presenting a human trafficking and domestic violence awareness training March 30 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.  

Officer Domenic Consoli from the Wayne Police Department and Haven House will be leading the first hour of the presentation. Consoli will define what domestic violence is, and Haven House will discuss what people can do about domestic violence or how to help people in difficult situations.  

During the second half of the presentation, Glen Parks, the Assistant Attorney General, and Anna Brewer, an investigator with the Attorney General’s office, will be offering some more specialized information. They will be teaching attendees about the legal aspects of domestic violence such as restraining orders and what constitutes abuse.  

Officer Consoli advises students to attend the training session because everyone has experienced domestic violence.  

“Either they themselves or someone very close to them have all seen domestic violence at some point,” he said. “It is a tough subject to talk about, but everyone should learn more about it.”   

“Talking about [domestic violence] at young age would help prevent it,” Consoli said. “The social media boom has made kids more accessible. The target age for this topic is junior high and high school because they are about to start dating, so we want to prepare them for what they might experience.” 

The National Domestic Violence Hotline collected data in 2020 on domestic violence rates among high school students: “9.4% of high school students reported being hit, slapped, or physically hurt intentionally by their partner in the previous 12 months;” “approximately 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men who experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner first experienced some form of partner violence between 11 and 17 years of age;” “more than a quarter (28%) of male victims of completed rape were first raped when they were 10 years old or younger.” 

This awareness training is the perfect chance for people of younger ages to learn about a subject that affects them daily. Events like this help destigmatize domestic violence and help victims feel more comfortable stepping forward. Offering training sessions like this one starts a conversation that can sometimes be difficult to start.  

“This is a good opportunity for people to come out because it’s free and in Wayne. They will get a lot out of it,” Consoli said. “I don’t think this type of presentation, a combination between law enforcement training and a public training, had ever been done here in Wayne.”