Candlelight Vigil For Domestic Violence Victims Set In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A candlelight vigil is set for Wednesday evening in Toms River to honor those who have lost their lives to domestic violence in Ocean County.

The vigil is organized by the Ocean Partnership for Children and will be held on the front lawn of the agency's offices at 36 Washington St., beginning at 6 p.m.

The vigil will include two silhouettes, representing a woman and a child who lost their lives to domestic violence. The silhouettes are part of the Silent Witness Initiative, which began in 1990 as an effort to educate the public on the possible fatal consequences of domestic violence.

Mollie Greene, the assistant commissioner for the Children’s System of Care in the state Department of Children and Families, will be speaking at the vigil.

One in four women and one in seven men age 18 or older in the United States have been the victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to statistics shared by 180 Turning Lives Around, a nonprofit that assists victims of domestic violence.

In New Jersey, an act of domestic violence happens every 7.29 minutes, according to 180 Turning Lives Around. Children were involved or present in 31 percent of all domestic violence offenses.

Ocean Partnership for Children is a private, nonprofit organization that coordinates care for more than 900 children and families across Ocean County.

"These resilient youth and families are coping with a multitude of issues, including mental health struggles, trauma, substance use, school difficulties, and developmental disabilities," a news release from the organization said. "All too often domestic violence is also occurring in the homes of the families that Ocean Partnership for Children serves."

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, in-person attendance at the vigil is by invitation only, with masks and social distancing required. The vigil will be livestreamed on the Ocean Partnership for Children's Facebook page.

Visit the Ocean Partnership for Children website for more information about the services the agency provides or call 732-202-1585.

Ocean Partnership for Children’s care management services can be accessed by calling PerformCare 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-877-652-7624.