Domestic Violence Trainings for Salon Professionals held in Westford and Tyngsborough

WOBURN –Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan recently held two trainings for salon professionals and cosmetology students as part of her anti-domestic violence initiative Cut It Out. The free trainings were held in April at the Nashoba Valley Technical High School Restaurant, The Elegant Chef and Bistro and in May at Serenity Spa and Salon in Tyngsborough. 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 recent free trainings were hosted in partnership with the Upper Merrimack Valley Medical Reserve Corp to train members of the Upper Merrimack Valley MRC, hair stylists and students. The events trained approximately 60 individuals.

The program also introduces and aligns participants with domestic violence service agencies as well as domestic violence officers from local police departments.  The trainings included participation from: Alternative House in Lowell, which offers shelter, support, options, counseling and legal advocacy for all victims of domestic violence and their children; State Senator Eileen Donahue, State Representative Colleen Garry and Westford and Tyngsborough Police Departments.

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.