Local nonprofit sparking conversation about domestic violence in rural Nebraska communities

VALPARAISO, Neb. (KLKN) — Outside of Val Tavern in Valparaiso on Sunday, the message is clear, no one is too far away to matter.

This was one of EnoughDV’s first events to provide support for rural Nebraska communities.

The nonprofit started earlier this year after the death of Jamie Hagen.

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Belinda Hagen, president of EnoughDV, said starting the conversation about domestic violence is vital for the state.

“Just increasing awareness about how frequently these events for domestic violence are taking place,” she said. “How often people are actually seeking help, taking action and picking up the phone and making those calls. On a typical day we have 20,800 calls made to domestic violence support hot lines. There are 2-3 million calls received by law enforcement.”

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She said their main goal is to make sure these smaller communities know they are not alone.

“I think they’re astonished when we start talking about the trivia and the statistics and it starts to get the wheels turning in a different way,” she said. “I think small communities are not used to tragic events like Jamie’s. I think this is to maybe mentally prepare.”

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Hagen told Channel 8 they are meeting with another domestic violence group from Tennessee that recently passed a bill protecting survivors.

And she said they also plan to work with government officials to try and change the system.

“We’re of the opinion that we want to strengthen protection orders,” Hagen said. “We want to look at when protection orders are violated, what does that look like and how do we enhance victims’ safety. Do they have good safety plans in place?”