The Troup County Domestic Violence Task Force will host its conference “The Domino Effect: Removing Barriers” Wednesday at the Callaway Conference Center. Michele Bedingfield, executive director of Harmony House Domestic Violence Shelter, said this is the task force’s fifth conference, and it will focus on the barriers in place when someone tries to leave an abusive relationship.

“If each person in their own discipline can help remove one barrier, what would that look like?” Bedingfield said. “And then what if each discipline helps remove that barrier, would it make it easier for that person to leave that abusive relationship or just stay safe until they could find a time to leave? Each domino represents a barrier.”

Financial, legal, societal, religious and psychological barriers will be addressed at the conference. 

“What laws have been implemented that can help a victim to leave, but then what barriers are in the judicial system that we still need to work on? And how can we help them go through that system?” Bedingfield said. “And we all know that there’s probably many, many other (barriers). Those (five) are the ones we’re going to have breakout workshops on.”

Tomieka Daniel, supervising attorney at Georgia Legal Services Program, will be the keynote speaker at the conference. 

“The end result for everyone is that everyone can make a difference regardless of where you work, where you go to church, where you live,” Bedingfield said. “You can make a difference in someone’s life just by being there. So hopefully this conference will remove these barriers and help start knocking down the domino effect.”

Bedingfield said the conference is a way to get five hours for those in continuing education classes or Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.

The conference will be held at Callaway Conference Center at 200 Fort Drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. To register, visit troupdvtf.wixsite.com or call (706) 882-4173.