The Scourge of Domestic
Violence A Call to Action
by ELLEN VERGOS “V iolence is a thief. In much the same way that
a robust education can open minds to new opportunities and unprecedented achievement, violence closes doors and cripples the human ability to grow and innovate. At the hands of a stranger, and even more often a loved one, women in Tennessee are being coerced, intimidated, battered and assaulted in alarming numbers. In recent years, our state has regularly ranked among the worst in the country when counting the number of women murdered by men, and estimates indicate that one in three women will experience domestic or sexual violence in their lifetime.”1 Tus begins an extensive, well-researched and hard- hitting documented report on the topic of domestic violence. Te report was released in 2013 by the Tennessee Economic Council on Women, a state agency created to address the economic needs of Tennessee women,2
after research and
testimony by experts at public hearings in nine different venues across Tennessee. Tis study reveals: • Domestic violence is not a family matter, with limited impact on the wellbeing of others. It is, in fact, one of the most debilitating and prevalent crimes in our society and it perpetually extracts costs, both immediate and long-term, from every single one of us. • Investigating and prosecuting domestic violence crimes utilizes a substantial portion of the law enforcement personnel and services in this state. Based upon the reported figures, the TECW estimates that a conservative minimum of $27,731,509 was spent by taxpayer-funded local law enforcement agencies and jails in response to the 64,697 domestic violence crimes reported in Tennessee in 2012. • Te medical expenses and personnel involved
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in treating the injuries of the victims of domestic violence, including unborn children of the victim, is costly and consumes scant public resources. • Domestic violence in the workforce is costly to
employers and threatens the safety not only of the intended victim, but also her co-workers as well. • Domestic violence affects the children who witness it and who may themselves be victims.
Across the state of Tennessee, communities spend or lose at least $886 million each year as a result of violence committed against women, according to the findings of the Tennessee Economic Council on Women in their 2013 statewide study of communities across the state. Te term “domestic violence” covers a broad variety of violent crimes. Generally, the definition includes “a pattern of assaultive and/or coercive behaviors including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as economic coercion, that adults use against their intimate partners to gain power and control in that relationship.”4
Domestic violence related
crimes include such heinous crimes as murder, aggravated assault, simple assault, sodomy, forcible rape, forcible sodomy, forcible fondling, sexual assault, incest; statutory rape; and kidnapping/abduction. Te types of crimes included and percentage of domestic violence claims in relation to other crimes are reflected in the chart on p. 15.5 Memphis is not exempt from the effects of domestic
violence. At the Memphis hearing on June 7, 2013,6 ServiceMaster’s Trina Hyman, testified from an employer’s perspective of having encountered the fallout from domestic violence in the work place, including unexplained absences and illnesses of an employee/victim along with threats and the possibility of the abusing spouse visiting the workplace with a loaded gun. Training is available for local employers from
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