Conference on domestic violence

Domestic violence in the Caribbean and America will be fought vigorously by the Caribbean American Domestic Violence Awareness (CADVA) – new Florida-based advocacy group that will team up with Operation Dreamcatcher NYU chapter, for an empowerment session on April 9.

The organization that was launched on Feb. 25 of this year in Orlando, will also unveil an art exhibition depicting graphic incidents of domestic violence in the Caribbean community before the two-hour session scheduled from 6:00 p.m. in the Kimmel Center of New York University.

The interactive session to be held at the 60 Washington Square South, location, will bring into focus the organization’s goal to leave a legacy and a roadmap behind for any person who thinks he or she cannot make a difference.

The session will address CADVA’s mission to provide a safe environment where individuals and communities can converge, listen and become sensitized, share and receive vital information. Help on how to combat domestic violence in their local community is also a main factor.

Further, the organization will educate victims of abuse by providing help and guidance to them and their families through its workshops.

Executive Director, and Founder of Operation Dreamcatcher Melissa Bhirkham is focused on raising funds that will go towards the purchase of medical supplies for under serviced institutions such as hospitals and clinics in developing countries.

Through these initiatives, victims will be encouraged to break the silence, by saying “no to violence.”

“This organization will teach victims how to recognize abuse through the process of empowerment. They will also be educated on how to react when witnessing abuse in each peculiar circumstance in consideration,” said Bhirkham.

CADVA brings grassroots open discussion sessions to targeted communities, and teaches victims how to walk away from abuse, and how to stay safe when in an abusive situation while protecting loved ones.

For more information, contact Dianne Madray, Chief Operations Officer of CADVA at 917-399-5764 or CDVA’s Face Book page.