Three Women Are Murdered by Their Husbands, Boyfriends Every Day in America

Posted by Lucinda Marshall, Feminist Peace Network at 7:01 AM on December 21, 2007.

From the Family Violence Prevention Fund:

Domestic Violence, Domestic Homicide Remain Serious Problems

In United States, New Justice Department Data Shows

Statement of Esta Soler, President, Family Violence Prevention Fund

"New data issued this evening by the Bureau of Justice Statistics show that partner violence and domestic homicide remain costly and devastating problems in this country. Although the overall decline in partner violence in the last decade is encouraging, it is clear that our nation is not yet doing nearly enough to keep women and children safe.

For a crime that has always been vastly underreported, it is disturbing that the Justice Department reports more than 560,000 intimate partner victimizations in this country in 2005 - and even more disturbing that domestic homicides against women rose from 2004 to 2005. On average in 2005, more than three women a day were murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in the U.S.

Once again, most victims of intimate partner violence are women, and those ages 20 to 24 are at greatest risk. From 2001 to 2005, children lived in households experiencing 38 percent of intimate partner violence incidents involving female victims. Rates of partner violence remain outrageously high for African American, American Indian and Alaska Native women.

There is no question that we have a lot more work to do to keep families safe. More than a year after the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 was signed into law, we have seen no new funding for the prevention programs it includes and terrible shortfalls in spending for some of its most promising programs. We urge Congress to fully fund the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 next year, so that we can do more to stop the violence that is still much too common in our families and communities."

Tagged as: children, women, domestic abuse, crime

Lucinda Marshall is a feminist artist, writer and activist. She is the Founder of the Feminist Peace Network.