Photos of victims released with the 2017 Femicide Report. Source: Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women Facebook page.
THE 2017 FEMICIDE REPORT: Domestic Homicide Violence in Minnesota is out. This year in my state, 24 people lost their lives due to domestic violence, according to this report released by the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women.
Of those, 19 were women murdered by current or former intimate partners. The other five were family members/friends/interveners.
Senicha, Dawn, Jessica, Phanny, Sarah…
Slightly more than half were shot, the rest beaten, strangled, stabbed and killed by other methods. Their stories break your heart. These were women (and two men) who were loved and valued in their families, their communities, their workplaces. They are not simply statistics.
Please take time to read this report by clicking here. Beyond data, you will see the victims’ faces and learn of the circumstances related to their murders. You will read also about the “Red flags for batterer lethality” and findings and recommendations from the MCBW. At 44 pages, it’s a lengthy report packed with plenty of valuable information. But it’s well worth your time if you care about this issue, and you should. It’s vital that we are educated and aware. These are our mothers, our daughters, our sisters, our nieces, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers.
We cannot, must not, remain silent.
FYI: If you are in an abusive relationship and in immediate danger, call 911. The time period in which a woman is leaving or has just left her abuser is the most dangerous. Have a safety plan in place. Reach out to a local women’s advocacy center for help. Or start by talking to a trusted family member, friend, co-worker…you are not alone.
Please also click here and read an article by Bob Collins at MPR about a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that toughens the state’s Domestic Abuse Act.
Copyright 2018 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
It is so difficult to read these statistics, isn’ t it? Just one death is one too many.
You say it well: Just one death is one too many.
My
Heart
Aches.
…thank you for your voice, compassion, pro-activity, and persistence about this HORRID epidemic in our country, Audrey.
xx from Duluth.
I write for those like your beloved sister, Kay. I write for you and all who loved these women (and men). I write because I cannot remain silent.
Totally despicable people that make statistics like these!
I won’t disagree.
I skimmed the report. Thanks for bringing awareness of it. So Sad.
Valerie, thanks for taking time to look at the report. I appreciate your interest.
I love that you keep repeating this message. This kind of violence can’t be tolerated or over looked and the victims need to know that they are not alone
Thank you, Missy. I do what I can. I care. And I want these victims to know they are not alone and have the power to get out of these abusive relationships.