Domestic
Violence Community Panel

Lilit Shakaryan, a researcher and family life educator, hosts and moderates the panel discussion “Strengthening Community Awareness and Response to Domestic Violence,” presented in partnership with the Glendale Police Department. Shakaryan appears on the panel with Lieutenant Ernesto Gaxiola of the Glendale Police Department; Debra Suh, CEO of YWCA Glendale and Pasadena; criminal defense attorney Mariya Melkonyan; Alina Krikorian of the ARS Child, Family & Youth Guidance Center; and Maya Tokhalyan, founder of Armenian Woman Power. The forum examines community survey data on local perceptions of domestic abuse, cultural barriers to seeking help, and pathways to professional support and legal protections. The evening concludes with the dramatic performance “I Am a Woman,” directed by Suren Shahverdyan and based on real survivor accounts.