To the Editor: Already in 2016, four Rhode Islanders have been killed in domestic violence homicides. In the last 10 years, 54 lives were lost to domestic violence murders in Rhode Island. These tragedies are all the more abhorrent because we know
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To the Editor:
Already in 2016, four Rhode Islanders have been killed in domestic violence homicides. In the last 10 years, 54 lives were lost to domestic violence murders in Rhode Island. These tragedies are all the more abhorrent because we know domestic violence homicides do not come out of nowhere they often stem from a longstanding pattern of abuse that can rapidly escalate to murder. If there are steps we can take to save even one life, shouldn’t we?
But Rhode Island is failing, and falling behind. Domestic violence is preventable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), yet currently we have no state funding dedicated to domestic violence prevention! Even when domestic violence does not escalate to homicide, it is hurting our loved ones and threatening our communities between 8,000 and 10,000 victims of domestic violence and their children receive services each year. The Rhode Island General Assembly must respond to this public health crisis. When people are suffering and dying here in our own state, inaction is simply not an option. The Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence (RICADV) and its member agencies are leading the charge nationally with innovative approaches to prevent intimate partner violence. Now is the time for the General Assembly to stand behind this pioneering work and fund evidence-substantiated strategies that can reduce the rates of domestic violence in our state.
For four years in a row, the Domestic Violence Prevention Fund legislation (S2900 Goodwin/H7683 Blazejewski) has been in front of the General Assembly. Each year the bill has been submitted, it has overwhelmingly passed in the Senate but never had a vote in the House of Representatives. This past week, the Senate again took a major step forward by passing this important legislation. The House now has a powerful opportunity to save lives, but the window to take action is coming to a close. With less than a month left in the 2016 legislative session, Rhode Island families are looking to their Representatives in the House to protect them and their loved ones and to safeguard our states future.
In the long-term, investing in domestic violence prevention will save lives perhaps even the life of someone you know. Now is the time to make the Domestic Violence Prevention Fund a reality for Rhode Island. It’s the right thing to do.
Deborah DeBare
Executive Director,
Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence
4 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
davebarry109
Deb,
A tax on marriage licenses? Really? YOu already get to kids in the schools. How much more funding do you need?
Thursday, June 2, 2016 Report this
RISchadenfreude
"[L]ooking to their Representatives in the House to protect them and their loved ones and to safeguard our states [sic] future" is part of the problem- why are our citizens always looking to the government for solutions? Enough with the dramatic hand-wringing and get down to facts- it takes ACTION to prevent domestic abuse, not throwing money at it. How many of the killers are mentally unfit to stand trial? Would more money have prevented the murders? Once again, the average citizen will be paying for the sins of others- an increase in the Marriage License "Fee" (tax) under the current proposal. Why not get it from a Victim Relief Fund assessed by the courts from the perpetrators of domestic violence? It's a rhetorical question: because it wouldn't provide near as much funding for you as raising a tax on EVERYONE getting a marriage license. The old, "If it saves just one life" argument is a staple of liberal politics, using emotional language and hoping to "guilt" folks into support.
Friday, June 3, 2016 Report this
davebarry109
Hey Deb...I'll believe you are serious about domestic violence when you come out against Hillary Clinton for beaning Bill with a vase. The secret service and housekeepers reported it. So its ok for the first female presidential candidate to commit aggravated domestic assault? What say you Deb?
Tuesday, June 7, 2016 Report this
davebarry109
Hey Deb...I'll believe you are serious about domestic violence when you come out against Hillary Clinton for beaning Bill with a vase. The secret service and housekeepers reported it. So its ok for the first female presidential candidate to commit aggravated domestic assault? What say you Deb?
Tuesday, June 7, 2016 Report this