Domestic violence-related deaths have increased in the state of Wisconsin, according to a report released by the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
The report, released annually by the WCADV, found that domestic violence claimed 46 lives in the state of Wisconsin in 2005, including related suicides and fetuses killed due to assaults on pregnant women. Forty of the lives lost were due to domestic violence homicide, a nearly 43 percent increase from 2004, when 33 domestic violence homicides were committed.
Josh Freker, policy director of the WCADV, said the cause of the rising rate could be a number of different factors.
It is difficult to know. We could have gotten better at researching, or the rate could be overall increasing,' Freker said.
The WCADV report also showed that domestic violence homicides were concentrated in certain low-income areas of the state.
UW-Madison researcher Michelle Woolery similarly said in her 2004 report that data from the Wisconsin Department of Justice indicated domestic violence may be more common in poor and minority communities.
Freker said that a lack of access to resources could be to blame for this unequal distribution.
""For people with lower income it can be harder to get to resources,"" Frecker said, ""to be divorced or deal with custody of children in order to flee and have physical safety. That's when you have to have lawyers involved '¦ and that can cost money.""
Aside from the personal impact that domestic violence has on the individuals involved, it also has an economic impact on the state.
Woolery's report estimated $77 million is spent on health care costs directly related to domestic abuse, and $33 million is lost due to reduced productivity each year.
""Studies have shown that domestic violence, because it is so prevalent, actually does affect work forces [because] people call in sick or are unable to be productive in their jobs.""
All reports emphasize the point that more can and should be done to prevent domestic violence.
""Each of us has the responsibility to educate ourselves about what domestic violence is [and what resources are available]."" Freker said. ""We never know when it might be our friend or family member who signals to us that she or he is in some kind of danger.
