According to a recent study, Georgia is among the top 10 states in the U.S. in terms of domestic violence homicides. Specifically, Georgia ranks sixth for women killed by men, and the majority of the homicides were the result of domestic violence committed by men against their wives or other intimate partners.
The study was conducted by the Violence Policy Center, a non-profit organization that gathers and analyzes information about domestic violence in the United States. Following an analysis of 2009 homicide data from the FBI’s unpublished Supplementary Homicide Report, the organization concluded that the national homicide rate of women killed by men in single-victim, single-offender incidents in 2009 was 1.25 homicides per 100,000 people.
In Georgia, the rate was higher – 1.80 victims per 100,000 people. Other states with an above-average rate were Nevada, which ranked first, Alabama, Louisiana, Arizona, Tennessee, and South Carolina.
The data also indicated that more than 90 percent of the homicide victims were killed by someone they knew. In addition, 63 percent of the victims were married to or had intimate relationships with their alleged killers. When the data reported the type of weapon used to commit the domestic abuse, firearms were used in just over half of the domestic violence homicides.
According to Kristen Rand, the legislative director of the Violence Policy Center, decreasing the occurrence of domestic violence will require a multi-faceted approach from multiple areas of government. “Violence against women too often escalates to homicide,” she said. “Prevention of such violence deserves serious and sustained attention from law enforcement officials and policymakers alike.”
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Georgia has sixth-highest rate of women killed by men, study says,” David Ibata, Sept. 21, 2011