What happens next for domestic violence victims?

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- It is one of the toughest calls anyone can make.

But every day, survivors of domestic violence – mostly women – contact the police to report their abusers.

But that’s just the first step in a sometimes long process.

Like other crimes, there’s an investigation and then a court date.

Most victims don’t talk about it in public.

But these people are at this vigil to support families torn apart by domestic violence.

For survivors, the road to freedom can end in a courtroom.

But for some, taking that final step can be hard.

Tina Rogers spends a lot of time working to bring justice to domestic violence victims.

They tell her they want closure.

“Telling your side of the story about what actually happened to you is super important, and they feel strongly that they need to get that out,” said Rogers.

But for others, it’s hard to follow through.

“Fear, in general, is powerful because the unknown is always scary to people. They also have the fear of the potential person the defendant, but they might be scared of, and sometimes threats are made, or whatever the case may be so they’re scared to come to court for that particular reason,” said Rogers.

“Sometimes the victims have made amends at that point,” said Carly Estes.

That doesn’t stop the prosecution.

“When the victims don’t show up to court we will make every effort to try to reach out to them to see if they have a recommendation,” said Estes.

“If we can’t reach them by letters, we pass by their houses or their place of employment, and then after that point, we will try to contact their next of kin. We try every method known to man to try to contact them because we want them aware of the process and what’s going to happen next in their case,” said Rogers.

Carley Estes says it is important for victims to feel like someone hears them.

“They’re the ones that file the complaint they were the ones that were wrong, and they are the ones that need to tell their story. The court has to take their recommendation into consideration, so it’s very important for them to tell us their recommendation, so we make sure their voices heard and they get justice for the crime that was committed against them,” said Estes.

It’s a story both Estes and Rogers and will continue to tell… one case at a time.

Rogers tells me one of the most dangerous times for a victim is when they try to break off the relationship with the abuser.