State must invest more in education, change laws
South Carolina ranks No. 2 in the nation for the number of women killed by men in incidences of domestic violence. The state has been consistently ranked in the top 10 in the nation and jumped from seventh to second this year. That alarming number is more than a statistic — it represents many families that have been irrevocably scarred. A concerted effort is needed on the part of local officials to address what has become one of the biggest problems this state faces.
Education is a big part of deterring incidences of domestic abuse. Every middle school and high school student in the state should be instructed on exactly what domestic violence is, how harmful it can be and how prevalent it is in this state. If that focused instruction is made mandatory, we would be able to ensure that every student who comes through our school system would, to some degree, understand the seriousness of domestic violence, which would help to lower the incidence rate.
USC’s Student Health Services has several programs dedicated to increasing awareness on domestic violence. This includes Stand Up Carolina, which emphasizes bystander intervention in interpersonal conflicts. SHS also offers presentations on the specifics of sexual assault and violence prevention, and it hosts events throughout the semester designed to increase awareness. Programs like this are extremely important and deserve priority in funding. Women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rates of intimate partner abuse, so colleges need to be able to adequately educate on domestic violence and deal with incidences of it.
One factor that makes domestic violence hard to combat is that it is chronically underreported. This is why the state should fund an ad campaign similar to the “Click It or Ticket” campaign for seat belts. The more people are exposed to the realities of spousal abuse, the more it would be reported. The earlier it is reported, the more lives can be saved.
Finally, the legislator must change the current laws on domestic violence and allow both unmarried and gay couples to seek protection from abusive partners. South Carolina is one of only eight states that restricts orders of protection to married and live-in couples. That leaves out 60 percent of reported cases, according to South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. With the second highest partner murder rate in the entire nation, there is absolutely no excuse for failing to offer a basic safety course to a majority of the state’s domestic violence victims.
As a state, we have to do better than we have on domestic violence. This has to start at the top, meaning the state government must heavily invest in education on abuse and change the laws to protect all citizens. Though failure has become the status quo in this state, too many lives are at risk to do nothing about domestic violence.