DA Ryan Holds Domestic Violence Trainings for Salon Professionals

WOBURN –Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan held two trainings this week for salon professionals as part of her anti-domestic violence initiative Cut It Out. The free trainings were held on March 9 at Elizabeth Grady School in Medford and on March 10 at Starz Salon in Concord. The Cut It Out program teaches cosmetology students and salon professionals how to recognize the signs of domestic violence and explains resources available to help victims of abuse.

The program also introduces and aligns participants with domestic violence service agencies as well as domestic violence officers from local police departments.  This week’s trainings included participation from: Respond Inc. and Portal of Hope, which serve the communities of Medford, Malden, Melrose, Everett, Wakefield and Somerville; Domestic Violence Services Network, Inc., which serves clients from Acton, Boxborough, Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Maynard, Lexington, Lincoln, Stow, Sudbury, Wayland and Hanscom Air Force Base; and the Concord Police Department.

Cut It Out Middlesex started at local vocational and technical high school training programs to create awareness around the issue of domestic violence at the earliest stage of students’ professional development. The Cut It Out program was conceived and first implemented in 2002 in Alabama and has become the national program of the Salons Against Domestic Abuse Fund, which is dedicated to mobilizing salon professionals and others to recognize signs of abuse and to fight the epidemic of domestic violence in communities across the United States.