Domestic Violence Report & Recommendations

Washington State Domestic Violence
Fatality Review— Now That We Know
December 2008.

430 fatalities occurred in Washington State between January 1, 1997 and June 30, 2008, all victims of domestic violence. That sobering statistic prefaces the prodigious report published by the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The DVFR identifies each victim of domestic violence in Washington State for a two year period ending June 30, 2008. It is a sobering chronicle of lives lost. Complete with extensive findings and numerous recommendations, the DVFR is a must read for everyone, especially those who most able to effect change, e.g. service providers, community organizations, employers, attorneys, judges, law enforcement, prosecutors, and elected officials at all levels.

Quoting the DVFR,

“To know is not enough. We will end the violence not just by understanding the experiences of victims, but by letting that understanding transform our work and our lives. When our knowledge is met with compassion for victims’ lives and a powerful sense of our collective responsibility, we can transform the conditions that allow abuse to thrive. We no longer wonder whether people close to us are affected by domestic violence. We know that they are. Now that we know, how will our work be different? What will this workplace, this neighborhood, this clinic look like now that we know there are people here every day who are being terrorized in their homes? Now that we know someone we care about is hurting someone they love? Now that we know that each interaction we have today may be with a person struggling to survive, break free, or remain whole? Now that we know, how will we make our knowing matter?”