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Feb 25, 2008 1:02 pm US/Eastern
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Beauticians Trained To Help Domestic Abuse Victims
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
According to the Family Violence Prevention Fund, three women in the U.S. are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends every day. As a result, new soldiers are joining the war against domestic violence in New York City, promising to watch your back and keep you pretty at the same time: beauticians.
The popular 1989 film "Steel Magnolias" revealed the universal truth that there are no secrets in a beauty parlor. It's that clubby combination of intimacy and support in the local salon that gave Ingrid Dominguez the idea to deal with the serious issue of domestic violence.
"They know that they can talk about everything and anything and that it's not gonna come out of the salon," Dominguez told CBS News reporter Bianca Solorzano.
So Dominguez, the director of New York City's Children's Services, developed a program to train salon operators to spot and help victims of abuse. At a training session in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, stylists are taught to look for clues such as bruises, missing patches of hair, or signs of being controlled and isolated.
And when they find signs of domestic abuse, they learn how to gently guide distressed women to seek help.
"A woman is here with a black eye, or a bruise, she is not ready to take that step. What we are encouraging the salon operator, is just to provide them with the information, think about it, there's help," said Dominguez.
Trained operators can provide a contact to help with housing relocation, childcare support, and medical insurance. But without guidance from a trusted source, most victims are too afraid to ask for help.
Salon employees at the Tauro Salon know domestic violence all too well. A woman who worked there walked outside with her boyfriend, where he stabbed her to death in the middle of the street, right in front of her coworkers.
"If she had talked and we knew about this program, then maybe she would still be alive," Caridad Morefe, manager of the salon, told Solorzano in Spanish.
Domestic violence is a nationwide problem, affecting 1.3 million victims each year, roughly 90 percent of them being women. Programs at hair salons aren't just limited to New York -- there are many available nationwide. In Birmingham, Ala., a program called "Cut It Out" has trained 25,000 salon operators.
"This idea can be replicated anywhere," said Dominguez. "And they'll embrace it, as long a you tell them what to look for and where to refer these women."
In New York, Children's Services reports a 7-fold increase in the number of referrals since the program started in October.
"It was tremendous. The receptiveness of the community -- they're ready to get up and take action," said Dominguez.
Beauty salon owners and operators interested in participating in the training sessions should contact Dominguez at (212) 280-9526.
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