How Are the Children?: A Toolbox for Breaking the Cycle of Domestic Violence Victor Rivas/Rivers, Actor and Spokesperson, National Network to End Domestic Violence
The Masai tribal greeting, “How are the children?” is a reminder that the wellbeing of a community’s children stands as a measure of its overall health and strength. The children and women who live with domestic violence suffer from one of society’s deadliest, but most curable, social ills.
The Session:
Actor, activist and domestic violence survivor Victor Rivas/Rivers will tell his own harrowing story to illuminate the connections between the violence that takes place in the home and in victims’ other relationships, spurring societal and intergenerational cycles. Rivas will share what he calls his “survival toolbox,” resources and strategies for preventing and surviving domestic abuse.
The Expert:
Victor Rivas, also known as Victor Rivers, is an actor, former pro football player and domestic violence survivor. At the age of 15, Rivas went to the police with his own story of abuse at the hands of his father. The year was 1967, and officers told Rivas there was little they could do about what they deemed a private family matter. Today, attitudes have changed, but domestic violence remains one of the most underreported crimes in America. For this reason, Rivas lends his voice as spokesperson for the National Network to End Domestic Violence, an alliance of shelters and state-based advocacy groups around the country.
