Horrifying! ~ just ... HORRIFYING!!! ~ ~ Sooz

Tennessee study: Annual costs of violence against women ‘likely exceeds $1 billion’
By David Edwards
Wednesday, November 13, 2013 9:16 EST

A study released by a Tennessee group this week determined that the cost of violence against women in the state “likely exceeds $1 billion.”

In its “Economic Impact of Violence Against Women” report, the Tennessee Economic Council on Women found that “Tennesseans spent or lost at least $886,171,950 as a result of domestic violence, human sex trafficking, and sexual assault.”

The group said that most of that money was spent in tax dollars and health care costs, but lost wages, charity, workplace expenses and other inefficiencies were also included.

But the group said that the toll went beyond the costs of rape kits, broken bones and funerals.

“More shocking than this annual cost to the community—which likely exceeds $1 billion, in truth—is the comprehensive and devastating impact that these crimes have on women and girls in Tennessee,” the reported noted. “Estimated to target women in 70 to 80 percent of cases, and measuring in excess of 82,000 incidents annually in this state, domestic and sexual violence foster dependency and isolation; they derail careers, educations, and personal development; and their effects create a global cost to the community by dealing significant immediate damage and immense lasting trauma to one in three women in their lifetime. ”

In 2010, Tennessee ranked third in women who were killed by men.

While Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has pushed for stricter punishments for repeat domestic violence offenders, Republicans’ overall record on protecting women in Tennessee is mixed.

“Here in Tennessee, we must hold accountable those who refuse to stand up for the rights of women,” the Tennessee Democratic Party said in a statement marking the anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in September. “From Tennessee, U.S. Reps. DesJarlais, Roe, Duncan, Fleischmann, Black, Blackburn, Fincher all voted against VAWA and Gov. Haslam and the extreme GOP legislature continue to deny women and mothers access to affordable health care.”

“The fact is that there are still too many women who suffer from domestic abuse and we must recommit ourselves to working towards a solution. As Democrats, we will continue to work tirelessly to prevent violence against all Americans.”

(h/t: The Tennessean)

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/13/tennessee-study-annual-costs-of-violence-against-women-likely-exceeds-1-billion/

wow

It's all awful. Truthfully, I worry less about the financial than the societal cost of domestic violence.

The 10 states with the highest female homicide rates: 1. Nevada 2. South Carolina 3. Tennessee 4. Louisiana 5. Virginia 6. Texas 7. New Mexico 8. Hawaii 9. Arizona 10. Georgia

From the article about domestic violence in South Carolina....

In 44 of the 46 cases, police were able to identify the relationship between the victim and her killer. In all 44, the women were killed by someone they knew, and most of those were at the hands of spouses and boyfriends, the report said.

http://www.thestate.com/2012/09/20/2448 ... worst.html