Trending Femicide in America
Will you be a victim or a victor?
Domestic violence refers to the violence between spouses but can also include cohabitants and non-married intimate partners.
Over the last decade violence against women increased dramatically with Intimate Partner Violence currently trending across America.
What’s behind the trend?
Income, age, location, and mental stability are common factors studied during domestic violence cases.
2016 Numbers for Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence cases in America — 1,109,610
Rape — 323,450
Violence resulting in death or serious injury — 272,380
Conviction rate for perpetrators — INCONSISTENT in all states.
Females ages 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 generally experienced the highest rate of intimate partner violence.
States with the highest domestic violence (2016)
* Texas (the highest reported cases)
* California (second highest)
* New York
*North Carolina
* Georgia
*Tennessee
* Florida’s domestic violence numbers were not ranked on the Bureau of Justice Report. Research indicates 105,668 domestic violence cases were reported in the Sunshine State with 63,193 arrests.
Transitioning from victim to victor will not be an easy task but with ongoing education, and self-defense training, women should see these numbers decline.
The first step in the conversion is to identify what it means to be a victim.
What constitutes a victim?
Victim- Someone who has suffered; an aggrieved or disadvantaged person. A person who is tricked or duped. A sitting target, stooge, escape goat or mockery. A person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event or action.
What it means NOT to be a victim
Your in control: A position of power, the ability to protect yourself and your family. Taking an active role in managing what life throws at you. Taking excellent care of oneself, standing up to the opposition.
You Need to Decide
Will you be a Victim or a Victor?
Victor — A person who defeats an enemy or opponent in a battle, game, or other competition.
What are you doing to ensure your safety and the safety of your family?
67 % of men report owning a gun.
Less than 22% of women own a gun.
Are self-defense classes effective?
99.9% of crimes against women show the perpetrator wasn’t subdued without a weapon. Translation, you need a weapon of choice to fight back.
Areas of concern
- The city, state, and federal government needs a major overhaul with current domestic violence programs. The current methodology used for investigating, convicting, and preventing domestic violence is outdated.
- Predictability — Social Media, criminal history, and background data are excellent tools to determine the likelihood of future offenders.
- Ongoing education relating to early detection should be communicated to teenagers and young adult women. Screen your potential partner. Violent behavior can be hereditary. Patterns of abuse start at home. The apple doesn't fall from the tree.
- Shelter houses are temporary band-aids that generally don't provide long term solutions. Although they provide short term relief — when looking at the big picture 3–7 days of staying in the shelter doesn't help. It doesn't help because a disproportionate number of women need to be in something like a witness protection program. They need a new start, a new identify, in a new city.
- Restraining orders or injunctions are merely pieces of paper without weight or merit. (What will you do while your attacker stabs you to death?) Wave the order in the face of the perpetrator. That will surely scare them off. (Wrong)
- Immediate or early intervention by the law should take place after a restraining order is issued. The police should immediately pay a visit to the perpetrator. This gives a warning, letting the person know the law is involved. If the perpetrator appears violent, intoxicated, or suspicious at the time of the visit make an arrest on the spot.
- Most laws generally side with the perpetrator when a woman decides to fight back (Battered women stand their ground) but end up serving time for defending themselves?
- Arrests are inconsistent with convictions. Translation, nothing is being done to the perpetrator. Instead women are imprisoned for standing their ground.
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