Churches Offer Input On Preventing Domestic Violence

"It is a silent sin. It's one of those that's on the hush-hush. You pray about it and leave it alone, but that's not really addressing it," said Tykee Vallien of Interact.

The conference is designed to raise awareness of domestic violence and help clergy respond effectively to violence in the family.

"As pastors and as ministers, we can no longer go into our stained glass sanctuary with the competent pews and the competent sanctuary and pretend that people are not suffering. That is why we are having this conference today," said the Rev. Rosalind Polston.

The conference will train ministers and other church leaders to recognize signs of possible domestic violence in families. It will also analyze the meaning of scripture, which some have used to justify abuse.