SAN FRANCISCO (dpa) – Police and public prosecutors in San Francisco trust an old truism that hairdressers are those best informed about their customers’ secrets.
In washing and styling a customer’s hair, the hairdresser should keep a watchful eye out for traces of what could be household violence, the police advise.
It’s something which Helene Rene now knows how to do after taking the first course provided by the city to train beauticians in watching for evidence of violent abuse.
“Bruises, swelling, old scars or scabs are suspicious,” she says.
Susan Breall of the San Francisco district attorney’s office is the person behind this new initiative in getting the assistance of hairdressers in the fight against household violence.
“Women will talk about private matters at the hairdressers, things which they would not even tell their girlfriends,” reports Breall, who is the chief of the criminal division of San Francisco’s District Attorney’s Office for all crimes of violence against women, children and the elderly.
“Women who are being beaten are often being kept under surveillance by their husbands. The visit to the hairdresser is sometimes one of the few opportunities to leave the house,” Breall added.
Helene Rene runs a beauty salon in an affluent neighbourhood. Some of her clients have given hints about being abused, she said.
“We are ersatz therapists. Some customers will tell their whole life story,” she said. “I often have to promise that I won’t tell their secrets to anyone else.”
Rene was one of seven participants at the first “Hairdresser Project” course given in September. Forty are signed up for the next course at the end of October.
In the course, a female doctor describes for them the typical signs pointing to physical violence, while a social worker distributes brochures and a list of addresses where victims can go to for help.
A pyschologist gives the beauticians tips about how they can get women to talk about the subject and what kind of help they can offer. A policeman reports that each year in San Francisco alone, around 10,000 cases of domestic violence are reported.
Helene Rene keeps the “Domestic Violence” brochures in her beauty parlour, in full view alongside the usual magazines. In the restroom, a bulletin board displays the addresses or visiting cards of women’s shelters.
Rene says that after taking the course she has become more vigilant. She has also started to add to her customer records her own observations about whether the customers seemed depressed or expressed worries of some kind.
Susan Breall is convinced that this simple and relatively cheap city initiative will succeed.
“We trust in the people in the community who have close and regular contact with women and are already able to recognise the signs of physical or mental abuse,” she said.
The first experience in recruiting hairdressers as detectives was made by a women’s shelter in the eastern U.S. state of Connecticut. For a number of years now an aid organisation has been doing voluntary work together with hairdressers in the battle against domestic violence.
Helene Rene also does not want any money for her help. She still recalls very well one of her customers who, crying, spoke of how her husband would beat her. This happened a few months before she took the course, and at the time all she could do was to offer some sympathetic remarks but otherwise could provide no further help.
“Now I would have some advice and some addresses to give her,” she said. “And I will certainly be examining her more thoroughly at her next appointment.”
