Record year in Wisconsin

Record year in Wisconsin - shame shame

Just got this press release from the Wisconsin Coalition on Domestic Violence...

Not a record to be proud of, that's for sure........

One would think with all the awareness that there is out there somehow more emphasis would be placed on prevention and resources for victims....however...not the case..those programs and the funding for them tend to be near the top of budget cuts....

Saddest thing about this is we as a society will be paying a larger price now for generations ....DV is a crime that keeps on paying..hurting....and can be felt for years beyond the abuser's life......

2009 Record Year for Domestic Violence Homicides in Wisconsin

Spike in Domestic Violence Killings Comes Despite Falling Violent Crime Rate

For Immediate Release: January 6, 2010

Contact: Tony Gibart, Policy Coordinator, WCADV at 608-255-0539 ext. 310

Madison - The number of domestic violence homicides in Wisconsin in 2009 will far outpace 2008 and may constitute a 10-year high. Even as national and local reports show a decrease in violent crime and homicides in 2009, the domestic violence homicide rate in Wisconsin grew.

There were 36 domestic violence homicides in 2008. Preliminary data indicate that there were at least 46 domestic violence incidents resulting in 59 deaths in 2009. In addition, although statewide data for 2009 are not yet available, local domestic abuse victim programs report unprecedented numbers of requests from victims desperately seeking shelter and other services.

General crime statistics contrast the domestic violence trend. Localities in Wisconsin report decreased violent crime in 2009. Milwaukee saw homicides at a 20-year low and violent crime on pace to be down 18 percent. The FBI recently released a report showing a 10 percent drop in homicides and a 4.4 percent dip in violent crimes nationally through the first part of 2009.

Victim advocates say that while the divergence between domestic violence rates and general crime statistics is alarming, it is not surprising given recent economic conditions and the uniqueness of domestic abuse when compared to other crimes.

“While economic turmoil doesn't drive abusers to use violence, financial insecurity prevents victims from leaving abusive homes, meaning the violence continues and escalates,” said Patti Seger, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WCADV).

Experts in criminology attribute falling crime rates in part to sophisticated policing methods. But, victim advocates stress that law enforcement strategies that target particular neighborhoods or gang activity do little to prevent domestic violence.

“Unlike other violent crimes, domestic violence typically does not occur out in the streets or in particular locations,” said Seger. “Many law enforcement agencies have stepped up their efforts to address domestic violence, but prevention really requires a community-wide effort to ensure that no one suffers silently in their own home.

“We have to see domestic violence as an epidemic. In 2009 in Wisconsin, at least one person died because of domestic violence almost every week of the year,” said Seger. “These were not isolated incidents. They are part of a pattern that can only be stopped with systematic responses that provide victims with resources for escape and protection, hold batters accountable and ultimately change the attitudes that permit abusers to use violence to control and demean their victims.”

WCADV will release the annual Wisconsin Domestic Violence Homicide Report for 2009 later this year. The report will contain final statistics and analysis of the killings that took place in 2009. The 2008 report is available at: http://www.wcadv.org/?go=download&id=1179.

###

Tony Gibart

Policy Coordinator

Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence

307 S. Paterson St. #1

Madison, WI 53703

Phone: (608) 255-0539 ext. 310
Fax/TTY: (608) 255-3560

History Shrouded in Mold - Part 1

Sipping my morning coffee I sit on my bed looking out almost century old windows and into the backyards of my neighbors. This morning was no different. The sky is grey and there is a slight chill in the air, reminding me that outside that glass is another world filled with life and adventure, stories to tell and lessons to be learned...knowledge to be gained. In other words, hope. That sentiment brings back the emotions I felt as a little girl. Then, I sat on my bed looking out the massive Victorian era windows of the 3rd floor apartment we called home. It was in the mid 70s -Evanston, Illinois. I loved being able to see into the green of the trees that lined our street. Between the leaves and branches was another world playing out before my eyes. The birds, the squirrels and sometimes even a stray cat - they lived out a day in their life without ever knowing they had an audience taking in their story. I would spend a lot of time watching them and getting to know their personalit

A Pay it Forward Christmas...

The Christmas Clues came all month long.....a month filled with constant motion ..chaos...stress...and deep inside me the usual holiday dread. Those clues helped to divert my attention away from the emptiness that has been in me for the last few years.... Those memories of a large family coming together where I was the hostess for all the holiday feasts....the memories that usually remind me of the last few years and how much the boys and I have lost when domestic violence entered our home...and what destruction it left in it's wake. Yes, the clues had me looking forward to time that in the last three years or so I would wish I could close my eyes around mid-November and wake up on Jan 1st - yes, me...the one time overly merry hostess had turned bitter towards the holidays. This is the first year in a very long time that I have actually looked forward to Christmas.... That Secret Santa...and those elves....must have known that I was dreading another Christmas...another holiday in

Healing Hearts an outloud journal post.

https://pixabay.com/users/artsybee-462611/ Healing hearts, or I should say the desire to, comes with admitting one’s own wounds which are in need of repairs. I’ve spent the past couple of weeks appearing to be quiet but really I was just doing some internal work while my body adjusted to a switch in medication to combat autoimmune flares. A few years ago I would have tried to push through such a thing and not allow my body, and even my mind, a chance to go through what it needs, I would have pretended I felt fine when I didn’t, thinking that made me strong. In reality such behavior made me weaker and landed me where I am today. Anyway, that lull allowed me to do quite a bit of thinking, planning and decision making. Right now the money raised for the Healing Hearts kickoff campaign is sitting in Go Fund Me — no withdraws made as I am waiting to hear back from an organization and person I trust to take those funds and get them where they need to be, to address crisis intervention for th

GCardinal said…

Amazing. I see that you're from Wisconsin, which is why you'd be interested in that state specifically, but as someone living down south, I'm wondering if this is a national trend. I suspect it is, and that it's tied to the economic situation, but not necessarily because of the deprivation of funding to prevention programs, as you mentioned.

I agree with your sentiment, though - we should be talking about domestic violence prevention, not just treating people after the fact (although that's obviously important, too). There's a lady on Oprah.com right now who has kind of changed my perspective on all of this. She talks about the 'Indicators of an Abuser,' which I think everybody should learn in high school. They teach individuals (not 'girls,' but everybody) how to recognize patterns in others (or in themselves) that might betray abusive tendencies. A good idea.

January 7, 2010 at 6:05 PM

Eva Marie said…

I do believe it's a sign of the times, and is a problem throughout this country...however that being said, this is also not the time to start cutting the programs, and funding assitance to services that would help to provide relief -
additionally there's no real oversight on who gets what funding, and how they utilize it - while there are many great advocacy programs out there, there are just as many who've lost focus on the client..the victim..and diverted their focus into other areas that "look good" on paper so they can still get funding...

Gee I hope that makes sense...

But DV is something that needs not just lip service from those in power, but an actual understanding on how it touches everything from the disconnected justice system...to problems at school for kids growing up in it -

Teaching the general public to look for the red flags of a toxic personality is great, but at the same time those toxic people don't disappear, and will end up in a relationship somewhere...we need more services that will address the overdue treatment they need as well...

ok...that was long winded on my part...thanks for your comments

January 7, 2010 at 6:14 PM

Thankfully Chewed Up and Spat Back Out!

Search This Blog