intimate partner violence

The sorrow from the loss of a woman like Jana and the prospect of losing other Janas is sobering to a strong woman. It is a stark reminder that there are some things that are simply out of any one woman’s control.

While October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, it may be the grim August murder of Crystal Ragin and her three children in Newport News, VA that serves as the year’s most dramatic reminder that more must be done to protect women from violence.

I am tired of it: violence against women may be a current fact—every 3 minutes a woman is beaten up -- but it is not inevitable. So here are my top three key recommendations for how you (yes: you) can make it stop before it even starts.

The Topeka City Council tonight failed to repeal an ordinance allowing domestic abusers to leave jail to save money, leaving the women of Topeka with no recourse against abuse within the city. If they wish for justice to be served, women will have to be geographically located outside of the city limits... and even that is no guarantee of protection.

Government, even at its most basic level, exists to protect citizens within its geographical boundaries.  A fight over a budget has stripped this community of this basic function of protection, from women who need it the most.  We speak from personal experience: Kansas NOW lost our former lobbyist Jana Mackey to an act of relationship violence.

Statistics show that 1 in 3 teens will experience dating violence and more than two-thirds never come forward and tell anyone. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), teen dating violence is a serious public health problem that is growing in the United States.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a growing public health concern in the United States, which has increased discussion about routine screening for IPV.  But, are we really ready to implement this measure?