VAWnet News Blog

“… fewer than half of all domestic violence victims ever call the police. One reasonable reaction to this data is to encourage more victims to call the police for help. And we do. But that’s not the only or best solution for everyone.

“The stigma associated with IPV may be especially pervasive in minority victim populations, including men abused by women, people in same-sex relationships, or transgender individuals. These victims may be especially reluctant to report IPV to law enforcement, resulting in a cycle of abuse in which violent partners escape the criminal justice system and become repeat offenders.

“Police may remove the perpetrator, but the victim is left with the question of what to do next,” Messing says.

“The Teach Safe Relationships Act of 2015 [ … ] would require that health education in public secondary schools include learning on ‘safe relationship behavior’ aimed at preventing sexual assault, domestic violence and dating violence. Under current federal law, health and sex education classes needn’t include sexual assault prevention.”

“A recent study found that more than half of the 110 mass shootings in the United States between January 2009 and July 2014 included the murder of a current or former spouse, an intimate partner or a family member. Everytown for Gun Safety, the group that released the study, found a ‘noteworthy connection between mass-shooting incidents and domestic or family violence.’ ”

by Louie Marven of the LGBT Center of Central PA