GALLIPOLIS — Domestic violence and emotional abuse are behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control the other, whether married, dating, living together or separated, and is said to be the most underreported crime in the world.

It can take many forms including physical aggression, sexual assault, emotional or psychological abuse, stalking, isolation, intimidation, and a host of other types of abuse. Domestic violence spans race, age, economic status, sexual preference and gender, though women tend to suffer greater rates of assault and subsequent injury due to physical stature.

The Serenity House serves Gallia, Jackson and Meigs counties 24-hours a day to provide a way out for women suffering from domestic violence. It is a four-room, 12-bed facility aiding not only female victims, but their children as well. The shelter requires that visitors sign a disclosure to not release its location, and victims who do are not allowed to come back.

In the past, Serenity House staff and law enforcement have had to deal with a few unwanted visitors, but for the most part Director Melissa Kimmel said the instances have been few and both the Gallipolis City Police Department and Gallia County Sheriff’s Office have been helpful in diffusing those situations.

“When a lot of these women come here, they have nothing and no idea where to start,” Kimmel said. “It’s difficult for them to be here and adjust, but hopefully being here will help break the cycle. Isolation is a marker of abuse. An abuser will tell you that you can’t go to school, drive a car, or get a job. Isolation is a big part of domestic violence because if you don’t know anybody, you can’t tell anybody.”

Abusers often cut domestic violence victims off from support systems such as friends and family, keeping them dependent in what can become a vicious cycle of abuse.

One felony domestic violence case currently under way in Gallia County Common Pleas Court is a case in point of the extent to which abuse can escalate, short of death. The defendant is charged with felony domestic violence because he has been previously convicted of the offense in Gallipolis Municipal Court. He has a string of municipal court charges spanning aggravated menacing, domestic violence and violating a protection order, to name a few, dating back to the early 1990s.

According to a source close to this case, he is accused of holding a woman against her will for days, physically and sexually assaulting her, at one point using a baseball bat. He even allegedly documented a portion of the abuse on his cell phone. Some of the allegations against him are too graphic to even be published, but apparently, because the woman is his wife, he is charged with domestic violence rather than the slew of other offenses that he could be facing.

In general, domestic violence is all too often deemed acceptable in southeastern Ohio, even among female residents.

One local official willing to take a stand for domestic violence victims in Gallia County, as evidenced by her recent appointment as a member of the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Advisory Committee on Domestic Violence, is Gallipolis Municipal Court Judge Margaret Evans.

“I think it’s everywhere, domestic violence is not just an Appalachian problem,” Evans said, noting that these types of cases can be difficult to prosecute because there is almost always a reluctant victim.

According to the national average, a woman will leave an abuser or report domestic violence seven times before leaving for good.

“We’ve made a lot of strides with the preferred arrest policy,” Evans added. “It gives some teeth to the domestic violence law.”

The policy provides for mandatory arrest of a primary aggressor in cases where probable cause is shown that a domestic violence offense has occurred.

“(Domestic violence) is generally a control issue and the abuser has usually so destroyed (the victim’s) self-esteem that it’s difficult for them to make a break,” Evans said, noting that most victims are kept isolated.

According to statistics provided by the Serenity House, domestic violence occurs in 60 percent of marriages and 85-95 percent of all victims are female. In addition, one in four women experience domestic violence, 90 percent in the presence of their children, and 40-60 percent of people who abuse their partners also abuse their children (and pets). Nationally, 1,232 women are killed each year by an intimate partner.

These types of relationships are usually very difficult for women to escape because their partners often make sure they don’t have access to money, a car, outside support, work, education or childcare. Abusers tend to devalue victims so that they become isolated with low self-esteem. Generally, the most dangerous time in a violent relationship occurs when the victim tries to leave.

Evans said that as a judge, it can sometimes be a balancing act between punishing offenders and keeping victims safe. Victims know how to best keep themselves safe and generally fear retaliation when abusers are prosecuted.

The Serenity House offers support services for victims to aid them in escaping these situations.

“Sometimes people call (the Serenity House hotline) and they’re just not quite ready to leave,” Kimmel said. “If they need to develop a safety plan to leave later, then we help them develop a plan.”

In 2009, the Serenity House aided 56 women and 41 children, totaling 1,408 bednights and 5,301 meals. The majority of those served hailed from Gallia and Meigs counties. A number of homeless individuals also benefited from shelter services.

The Serenity House hosts a domestic violence support group in Gallia County at 2 p.m. each Monday and each Wednesday in Meigs County. Other services provided include assistance with education, parenting, employment, child care, legal services, transportation, healthcare, housing, crisis intervention, budgeting and addiction.

The shelter works with other local service agencies including Woodland Centers, FACTS and Job and Family Services to help domestic violence victims obtain jobs, bank accounts and an abuse-free lifestyle.

The Serenity House is funded through Ohio Criminal Justice Services, the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), the State Victims Assistance Act, the Ohio Department of Development emergency shelter funds, Gallia, Jackson, Meigs marriage license revenue, United Way and monetary donations. The shelter is always in need of food as well as monetary donations for use as match money to obtain grant funding.

For more information or to join the support group, women can contact the Serenity House at 446-6752. The shelter’s 24-hour hotline can be reached at 1-800-942-9577.