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According to stats from the Bureau of Justice, the rate of domestic violence has been dropping. In 1994, it stood at 16 people out of every 1,000. In 2000, it was just under eight out of every 1,000 people. In 2010, it was just above four.
Now, it’s worth noting that this only counted intimate partner violence, and it also only counted when women were the victims. Still, even if the overall stats are higher, it still shows a very clear trend.
However, other studies don’t paint such a positive picture. Some have claimed that 25 percent of women have been victimized, for example. It does appear that more can be done, and some experts have suggested the following:
1. Study the prevention programs to find out which ones work the best. These can then be increased in size and scope. Additionally, it may be wise to keep starting new programs to find ones that work even better.
2. Increase the funding that is given to support services. This way, when people have nowhere else to turn, they will have programs to help.
3. Be consistent when handing out legal punishments for domestic violence. Some have said that sentences need to be serious and should be handed out swiftly.
4. Give women who are abused the help they need so they aren’t financially dependent on the men in their lives. This way, women in bad relationships will not feel that they have no way out.
It’s also important for those who have been victimized to know what legal options exist for them in Arizona, from protective orders to divorce.
Source: The Republic, “Five Things We Can Do to Reduce Domestic Violence,” Jonathan Cohn, accessed Aug. 04, 2016
