About 150 attend Sumter domestic violence forum

By GINA VASSELLI
Item Staff Writer
gvasselli@theitem.com

About 1.5 million women and about 835,000 men are assaulted by a partner each year.

Domestic violence is a problem nationally, including in Sumter.

In 2008 there were 349 reported cases of domestic violence in Sumter County, according to Sheriff Anthony Dennis. Similar statistics for the city of Sumter were not immediately available.

Wednesday, for the first time, the Sumter County Domestic Coordinating Council put on a forum on domestic violence. About 150 people attended the event at the University of South Carolina Sumter's Nettles Auditorium.

"It's time for us to take it on as a community," said Valerie Oxendine, a member of the council. "It's time to stop sweeping it under the rug."

The featured speaker was domestic violence survivor Tanisha Bagley, who has written a book about her experience titled "The Price of Love."

Bagley told her story of 11 years of abuse at the hand of her husband, Kevin.

For more on Bagley's story, see Thursday's edition of The Item.