Bigfork Eagle editorial

Murder most foul

Every day four women in this country are murdered by their boyfriends or husbands. This past week, one of those women lived in Ferndale.

Domestic violence that escalates into homicide is a disturbing and escalating trend in the United States. In the year 2000, partner homicides accounted for 33.5 percent of the murders of women. How does this happen?

It begins with spousal abuse, typically mental initially. Control and manipulation are used to give the dominating partner an upper hand. That hand all too often starts to wield a fist. The following is a barrage of statistics meant to shed light on a dark and secret horror that usually is kept behind closed doors.

About 95 percent of the victims of domestic violence are women. Every nine seconds in the United States a woman is beaten. Approximately 4 million women a year are assaulted by their partners. In the U.S., a woman is more likely to be assaulted, injured, raped or killed by a male partner than by any other type of assailant. Domestic violence is the number one cause of emergency room visits by women. The number one cause of women's injuries is abuse at home. This abuse happens more than car accidents, mugging and rape combined.

In 2002, 54 percent of female homicide victims were shot and killed with a gun. In homicides where males use firearms to kill women, handguns are the most commonly used weapon, over rifles and shotguns. Seventy-three percent of all females were killed with a handgun.

About 60 percent of all battered women are beaten while they are pregnant. Homicide is the leading cause of death overall for pregnant women, followed by cancer, acute and chronic respiratory conditions, motor vehicle collisions, drug overdose, cardiomyopthy and suicide.

These statistics should not only shock you, they should infuriate you. Domestic violence is one of this nation's most lethal secrets. Female victims are programmed to feel powerless and alone. That makes it easier to beat them down. The same goes for children. In homes where domestic violence occurs, children are abused at a rate 1,500 times higher than the national average. It is time that we, as communities, lift these women up and out of their violent situations.

There is help for battered women in the Flathead Valley, for instance. The Violence Free Crisis Line was formed to aid victims of domestic violence, rape, incest and child abuse. The Violence Free Crisis Line and The Abbey shelter not only respond to emerging crises, but also attempt to prevent these situations from occurring. The Abbey gives shelter to battered women—a safe haven that provides a wealth of services to victims. The hotline provides crisis intervention 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Volunteers who wish to give victims of domestic violence hope come from every community in the valley. They are properly trained and equipped with knowledge, which everyone knows is power.

We can stop domestic violence before it becomes domestic homicide. All we have to do is care. If you know anyone who needs assistance, or if you need assistance yourself, call the Violence Free Crisis Line at (406) 752-7273. Also, The Montana Hotline for Domestic and Sexual Assault number is 1-800-655-7867.

People who care are standing by.