According to the U.S. Department of Justice, about one in 20 college women are victims of rape or attempted rape annually, and only 27 percent of sexual assault and family crimes are actually reported to law enforcement.

In addition, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety, in 2004 more than 2,500 family violence arrests were reported in Collin County alone. This translates to nearly seven family violence arrests each day. To address this issue, Collin College will host the fifth annual Facing Family Violence conference Thursday, Oct. 18-Friday, Oct. 19 at the college’s Spring Creek Campus conference center in Plano.

The annual project of the Collin County Council on Family Violence, the two-day conference will feature speakers from diverse backgrounds and address topics such as family justice centers, dual arrest and intimate partner violence,  family roles, substance abuse trends, trauma intervention, youth and sexual behavior, self mutilation, investigating head trauma, postpartum emotions; South Asian, elderly, gay, lesbian, transgender and child victims and a case study of the John Battaglia capital murder trial.

Collin College has been a member of the Junior League-initiated Collin County Council on Family Violence since its inception in 1999. With more than 55 member organizations, the council includes representatives from local government, law enforcement, the district attorney’s office, probation, business, social services, faith communities, education, legal and healthcare fields. The council’s mission is to eliminate and respond to family violence with a coordinated, comprehensive, effective effort addressing education, intervention and seamless 24-hour assistance.

In addition to the conference, an exclusive, first-time showing of the AMS Production Group’s film “Portrait of Abuse: An American Epidemic” will be shown at 1:45 p.m., Friday, Oct. 19. The high-definition film is a compelling look at abuse through a variety of perspectives. Featuring interviews with victims, abusers, doctors, nurses, shelter care advocates, social workers and prosecutors, the film offers solutions and a hopeful outlook to a situation of epidemic proportions.