On this River to River segment, Ben Kieffer hosts a discussion on stalking, harassment, and domestic abuse after the recent Coralville shooting of an employee of the Iowa Children's Museum in Coralville, as well as the recent murder-suicide involving an Urbandale couple, when the murdered woman did not want to press charges because she feared for her life.
"We have to acknowledge the fact that we socialize young men to not take no for an answer, to be in control," says Alan Heisterkamp, director at the Center for Violence Prevention at the University of Northern Iowa.
Heisterkamp says that education and training on how to deal with rejection and how to intervene as a bystander needs to happen as early as elementary school, or before young men leave for college at the latest.
"We know the strategies and the skills that are lacking that could have an incredible impact on preventing situations like these from escalating," he says.
Also joining the conversation: Tara Beck, Waypoint servicesdirector, and Kathy Nebel, a stalking victim and advocate.
The Iowa Domestic Violence Hotline is a toll-free service for victims, loved ones and community members. Certified Domestic Violence Advocates are available 24 hours a day to provide crisis support, help victims find safe solutions across the state, answer questions and provide resource referrals. They can be reached at (800) 942-0333.
