National Domestic Violence Awareness Month ends Monday, and the issue is broader than some people may perceive.

The 183 domestic violence-related calls that Sharon Police handled in 2010 "could be a family disturbance" or "serving a restraining order," Sharon Police Domestic Violence Officer Harriet Reichert says.

"That's the thing with domestic violence. (People) are thinking 'a husband and wife, what you see on TV, and there's a dispute between them and the police come in and they arrest the husband,'" she says.

"Well, in this day and age, you see same-sex partners. You see a gamut of domestic violence situations, especially in a town like Sharon. You see teen dating violence. There's a big bullying aspect we're trying to educate on. And all that can come under the umbrella of domestic violence."

HUGS (Help Us Get Safe) Sharon sponsored several programs in town this month, among them: a domestic violence awareness banner hanging downtown; showing "The Lesson," a Deana's Educational Theater play about cyber-bullying, at Sharon High School; and a documentary and panel discussion at the Sharon Public Library, which co-sponsored that event.

The library event included showing the documentary "Telling Amy's Story," about how domestic violence led to a woman's death, followed by a discussion with Reichert, and Dr. Deborah Cohan, whose studies are focused on gender issues and domestic violence.

"Education is huge," Reichert says.

"The younger you can start, when we're hoping we can reach someone who could be a potential abuser in the future. And sometimes, kids grow up in that atmosphere at home and they don't realize that it isn't the norm.

"We're hoping with the education and all of the plays the HUGS program has offered, they maybe change the course of what the future can be for them."

Police provide information to assist people in domestic violence situations, Reichert notes.

"We're not looking to just go out and arrest people for domestic violence situations," says Reichert, the Sharon Police's Stoughton District Court prosecutor.

The present tough economy has contributed to "a rise in family tensions, which then, in turn, escalates a rise in domestic violence," she says.

"It is common during any stressful time to see that increase."

Police have supplies available "if someone needs to go somewhere in a hurry" to "leave a domestic violence situation," Reichert says.

"Our main focus is to keep that person safe," she says.