A stop on Blumenthal’s campaign trail: The Women’s Center of Greater Danbury

Richard Blumenthal made a campaign stop at the Women’s Center of Greater Danbury

Atty. Gen. Richard Blumenthal (D) and State Rep. Bob Godfrey (D) with directors, and counselors of Women’s Center of Greater Danbury on August 12 to discuss domestic violence and children’s issues. The stop was one among many that Blumenthal will make during the race to the Senate through November, when he and Linda McMahon, the Republican nominee, will square off for a critical seat in the U.S. Congress, one that has the potential to upset the current balance of power, which lies in favor of the Republicans.

“I’m proud to be here,” Blumenthal said, addressing a room full of people in a roundtable discussion with counselors and board members from the Center. Sitting beside Blumenthal was state representative Bob Godfrey of Danbury; both are outspoken advocates of the Center.

A few women volunteers who sought to improve their lives and the lives of other women in their communities established the Women’s Center of Greater Danbury in 1975. The Women’s Center has grown to service Danbury and all of the surrounding towns, providing counseling and advisory services to women in need and their families.

Although favored in the race according to Rasmussen polls, Blumenthal has seen a slight dip in support in recent weeks, dropping below 50% of likely votes to 47%, giving him a slim lead over McMahon. Despite the urgency of the Senate race, Blumenthal is still finding time and attention for the issues that he’s “totally committed to.”

“No community is immune to this [domestic violence]. Some are in denial, but domestic violence has become a scourge... Nothing is more fundamental to the safety of women and children than combating this,” said Blumenthal. Blumenthal recently ceded his position as Connecticut’s longest serving attorney general, in office from 1999 to 2009, to pursue a seat in Congress, where he hopes to begin making a difference on a national level. One such issue that he addressed specifically was immigration. When asked by Emanuela Lima, former Women’s Center counselor, how he would address domestic violence in relation to immigration, Blumenthal had this to say:

“On immigration, I’ve called for far-reaching reform on the federal level,” Blumenthal said.

“It has to include better enforcement at the borders and within community workplaces where immigrants are employed. Often employees carry abuse from the workplace to the home, where their spouses are reluctant to report them because of fear.”

Lima said that the Center is not given adequate funding for bilingual counselors to assist clients who don’t speak English.

While the Women’s Center has done its best to accommodate the non- English speaking population, there is a definite need for an expansion of such services.

The Women’s Center is the only organization in the area that works with abused immigrants on a person-to-person basis, and they need support, says Godfrey: “The government is obligated to step up to the plate.”