Calvani Deleon Guerrero is 2021 Bridge of Light awardee

This year’s Bridge of Light Award recipient, Calvani Deleon Guerrero, poses for a photo with his wife, Bridget Maratita Deleon Guerrero, after yesterday’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month proclamation signing at Saipan World Resort’s Royal Taga Ballroom. (JOSHUA SANTOS)

Calvani Deleon Guerrero is this year’s recipient of the Bridge of Light Award, which honors his 10-plus years of advocacy for victims of domestic and sexual violence in the CNMI.

Deleon Guerrero, who has been with Karidat Social Services for 11 years, was presented the award yesterday during the Domestic Violence Awareness Month proclamation signing at Saipan World Resort’s Royal Taga Ballroom.

In a later interview, Deleon Guerrero said his over a decade experience of advocating for victims has allowed him to point victims toward much-needed resources, such as helping file temporary restraining orders against abusers and referring victims to various agencies.

When asked what are the most common issues he has encountered thus far in his dealings with domestic disputes, Deleon Guerrero said it varies and that these issues are very often a mix of several factors.

“It varies because it’s a compounding situation. When someone comes in as a domestic violence victim [that is] being physically abused, with that comes emotional and verbal abuse. It’s never just one, it’s a compounding issue,” he said. Deleon Guerrero did note, though, that cases of physical abuse are the most prevalent.

During yesterday’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month proclamation signing, it was shared that the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected households, especially abusive households, through financial stresses as a result of losing work due to the pandemic and keeping victims in close proximity to their domestic abusers as people were asked to remain indoors.

Deleon Guerrero said that, indeed, he and others were concerned for domestic violence victims at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. “When the pandemic happened, we were so concerned about the victims because they have to be in the household [with their abusers], and if you’re in an abusive relationship you can’t go [anywhere],” he said.

Deleon Guerrero added that the number of calls from victims coming forward went down last year, as victims were unable to leave their households and/or were unable to create plausible excuses to tell their abusers why they were leaving their households during lockdown.

Deleon Guerrero said that helping others is what he loves to do. “It’s what I love to do. I love helping people, so it comes naturally. …This is my calling,” he said.

The Bridge of Light Award is the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence’s annual award that honors the efforts and accomplishments of one extraordinary individual in the CNMI who works diligently to keep the community safe, works to end domestic violence and sexual assault, and seeks to be a “Bridge of Light” for victims and survivors.