Take Back the Night raises awareness of domestic violence

The St. Landry-Evangeline Sexual Assault Center and Faith House of Acadiana held the fourth annual Take Back The Night March and Vigil Tuesday evening at the Eunice City Hall pavilion.
Billi Lacombe with Faith House of Acadiana said, “The best story is that of the survivor,those who have made it through situations, fighting for changes. Ending domestic violence is not complicated. One, we hold the abusers accountable, and two, we support the victim. It’s not their fault. They do not deserve to be abused. We need to support the victim and turn them into a survivor.”
The march and rally were sponsored by Eunice City Government, Chat-A-While Social & Civic Club, Eunice Bulb & Blossom Garden Club, and Opelousas Amicae. The event featured a march, rally, dedication, candlelight vigil, proclamation and guest speaker and domestic violence survivor Amanda Dandy, who was introduced by Opelousas Amicae member Sedonia Ackney.
“I was in a very abusive relationship, and I am blessed to be alive today,” Ackney said. “A friend drove me here to the police station in Eunice. I wish I had the photos from that night. I am blessed to be alive. I went back to him. He stalked me. He laid in the grass at my mom’s house and waited for me to come out so he could shoot me.”
“This is not just about taking back the night, but taking back your life.”
Dandy recounted how her history with domestic violence began before she was even a teenager.
“I was raped at the age of 10,” she said. “Sometimes you don’t even have family to lean on. My mom’s husband raped me. I did drugs. I was with a man for five years who beat me and my son.”
“I finally found God in my life. God saw the best in me.”
Barry Soileau with the St. Landry Parish District Attorney’s Office read the proclamation.
“In this country, a rape occurs every two minutes,” he said. “A woman is beaten every 15 minutes. Every six hours a woman is battered to death.”
“We need to declare an end to violence against women in every form. We are asking residents to become aware.”
Buddy Caldwell, former Madison, East Carroll, and Tensas parish district attorney and current state attorney general, also attended the event, and he shared his experience with reducing domestic violence in his area.
“I prosecuted every rape, murder and armed robbery in my district,” he said. “The majority of these cases were violence against women. I cut domestic violence 90 percent in my district. I took away from women the power to drop the charges. The power for men to manipulate women was taken away.
“There are simple solutions that are common sense. Your work here is very important. The voice that you have should always be listened to.”
Ciara Thibodeaux and Romano Fruge read the names of the 46 victims who have been killed in Louisiana due to domestic violence since Jan. 1. The latest additions to the list were Eunice residents and sisters Juila and Jayia Watford.
Laura Balthazar with the St. Landry-Evangeline Sexual Assault Center, also a domestic violence survivor, spoke about the recent sexual assault statistics for the St. Landry and Evangeline parish area.
“In the last 90 days, 13 sexual assaults have been reported in St. Landry and Evangeline parishes,” she said. “Just imagine that. In just 90 days, 13 young girls were sexually assaulted.”
To contact Claudette Olivier, email claudette.olivier@eunicetoday.com.