Domestic Violence Headlines for the Week of July 28

Another week, another reason to question humanity. Let’s dive in!

Survivor Trying to Leave an Abuser Killed Before She Could Escape

In Oklahoma City this week, a woman who had been trying to escape her abusive ex-husband for the past three years was murdered, her body found in the remains of a house fire. This marks the second week in a row a survivor was killed by an abusive partner who tried to cover up the murder using a house fire. 

The victim, Kellie Slaughter, had a court appointment on Monday to secure a protection order against her ex, Carlos Slaughter, 51. He never showed. After Kellie’s body was found, police tracked Carlos to a house where he barricaded himself inside. He later took his own life. 

Kellie’s niece told the press that her aunt had sent a video to her best friend before her murder saying that she was afraid for her life and described the abuse that she was enduring. The couple had been married for 17 years and separated for the last three. The niece said some family members thought they had been trying to work things out since they shared “dogs [and] a mortgage.” 

Most survivors of domestic violence face multiple barriers to leaving an abusive partner, including financial dependence, fear that they or their pets will be harmed if they leave, lack of somewhere else to live, and possibly, even hope for change in the future. However, many survivors also sense when abuse is escalating—which is more likely to happen once an abuser feels like he’s losing control over his victim. 

To learn more about spotting the signs of violence turning deadly, read “Will an Abuser Kill You?”

Source: KOCO 5 News

Pakistan Teen Killed by Father, Ex-Husband and Others for Remarrying 

The father and ex-husband of an 18-year-old were arrested this week in Pakistan, along with seven others, for murdering the young woman after she married a man of her choosing. Sidra Bibi’s so-called “honor killing” was ordered by a council of elders in the city of Rawalpindi. She was suffocated with a pillow after which her relatives buried her body and tried to flatten the ground to cover up the appearance of a grave. 

According to the Sustainable Social Development Organisation, an Islamabad-based independent organization, more than 32,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported in Pakistan last year alone, including 547 murders that could also fall into the “honor killing” category. In January, a father in Pakistan shot and killed his 14-year-old daughter, claiming she was posting “inappropriate” Tik Toks. 

Globally, gender-based violence takes on many forms, including more than 650 million forced marriages for girls as young as nine; bride burning, a horrific murder of a bride after the husband’s family decides the dowry offered has not been sufficient; and dowry deaths, the suicides of more than 8,000 Indian women yearly stemming from the stress of her family not being able to pay a certain amount to her groom’s family, possibly to escape the more gruesome consequence previously described. 

“These so-called honour killings reveal a deep-rooted mindset that views women as the property of men,” says Sadia Bukhari, a member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s council. “Most women in Pakistan face discrimination from childhood through adulthood.”

Source: AlJazeera.com

Baton Rouge Police Department’s Newest Hire Has a DV Record

It appears the Baton Rouge, La., police department may have loosened their hiring qualifications. As of Monday, their newest member of the force is a man with a known record for domestic violence, a concerning fact given that survivors of domestic violence already have a difficult time trusting that police will believe them.

Colby Burns, a former Baton Rouge city constable, was booked into the East Baton Rogue Parish Prison in 2021, according to jail booking records. Burns’ former fiancé alleges he wouldn’t leave her home when she asked him to, throwing her cell phone and shoving her when she tried to call 911. She locked herself in the bathroom until law enforcement could arrive. Burns’ two children were in the home at the time of the incident. He posted a $3,000 bond after his arrest and it appears no criminal case ever followed. The Baton Rouge Police Department told the local news station they believed Burns’ record was expunged. 

The victim in this case released a statement after she learned Burns was soon going to be serving and protecting the city. In part, she stated that she didn’t understand how Burns’ record had simply disappeared.

“In addition to terms discussed in court that were not fulfilled, his record has been expunged. I’ve been left without access to documentation, and without answers about how the situation was resolved, or how it was allowed to quietly disappear from record over the past four years,” the victim’s statement reads. “As a victim of domestic violence and someone who sought legal channels for protection, it’s unsettling to be left in the dark, ignored, and now see someone with such a history placed in a position of public trust and power. Of course the situation presented lasting emotional effects, but more importantly, it’s unfair that my voice was silenced while his slate was wiped clean.”

In one study of domestic violence cases, less than 10 percent resulted in criminal charges, and less than two percent of offenders ever saw any jail time. Unfortunately, abuse is even more likely—and dangerous—for partners of police officers. According to the National Center for Women and Policing, domestic violence is two to four times more common among police officers than the general public. And because most police officers have access to firearms, the victim’s risk increases five-fold that she may be murdered. 

Learn more about holding police accountable by examining their domestic violence policies in “Not Above the Law.”

Source: WAFB

Washington Requires Soon-to-Be Married Couples to Finance Future DV Program

In an effort to fund much-needed domestic violence programs, Washington has increased its marriage license fee by $100—a move the bill’s sponsor describes as creating a 'nexus' between the institution of marriage and the resources needed to address potential harm within it.

Prices throughout Washington now range from $139 to $172 depending on the county. The additional fee will fund a program in which social workers will accompany police on domestic violence 911 calls in order to help connect with survivors and steer them toward the resources they need to stay safe. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Lauren Davis, D-Shoreline, says the pamphlets currently handed to survivors by police aren’t doing enough.  

“Of persons who are killed (by domestic violence), less than five percent were ever engaged in victim services, but half had contacted law enforcement,” she told the Seattle Times. 

Statistics show that one in four women are victims of physical violence, sexual violence or rape in their lifetimes, a number that doesn’t account for other forms of abuse, such as psychological abuse, coercive control and other nonphysical forms of abuse.  Even more staggering is the estimate that homicide is one of the leading causes of death for women under 44, with nearly half of those women being killed by a former or current partner. 

Many survivors are caught in a cycle of domestic violence that may continue to keep them hopeful that the abuse will stop, or they may live in fear that leaving will mean the abuser will kill them. Validating a survivor’s experience and helping them create a safety plan could save their lives when they’re ready to leave. 

To learn more about how difficult leaving an abusive partner can be, read “16 Reasons Why She Stayed.”

Source: SeattleTimes.com