The end of one year and the beginning of another is a good time to reflect on the events of the last 12 months. Indeed, Top 10 lists of various sorts are a staple of the season. Still, some important issues don't receive the attention they should. Domestic violence is one such subject.
There are, unfortunately, numerous cases of domestic violence reported in the pages of the Times Free Press and other print media over the course of the year. Similar stories are a staple of the visual and electronic media. One need not look far to find a current example.
Reports that Charlie Sheen, the actor, allegedly put a knife to his wife's throat and threatened to kill her have received a great deal of media attention since his arrest on Christmas Day. Sadly, the seemingly endless reports of domestic violence - whether it involve someone famous or a neighbor down the street - makes the act seem commonplace and thus less important. The truth, though, is quite the opposite.
The ubiquity of domestic violence should not inure Americans to its inevitability or to its presence. It is never acceptable. The toll, physical and psychic, is too great for such acceptance. Every report of domestic violence is evidence of a relationship gone terribly wrong.
Typically, the majority of victims of domestic violence are women and the perpetrators are men, and the incidents involve family members or intimate partners. It's not limited to them, though. A rising number of cases of domestic violence involve confrontations between parents and children, between siblings or involve the elderly. The result of the mayhem is mind-boggling.
Across the nation, untold numbers of people become involved in domestic violence each year. Exact numbers are difficult to determine because many cases go unreported, often because victims are too ashamed to go to authorities.
Still, information available indicates the prevalence and the cost of such violence. In Tennessee for example, 2008 crime statistics indicate that nearly half of all cases tracked by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation involved some sort of domestic violence. Those cases included murders, kidnappings and rapes, as well as more than 11,000 cases of aggravated assault and more than 50,000 cases of simple assault. The cost of such violence is immense.
Terrible as that price is, there appears to be some improvement in the situation. Nationally and in many states, the number of reported cases of domestic violence is either static or in decline. Whether that is an aberration of short duration or the positive result of stricter law enforcement and public awareness campaigns is uncertain. Whatever the reason, the drop in cases is more than welcome.
Even so, there is no room for complacency. The roll of victims remains extraordinarily high. More can be done to reduce their number. That includes, at a minimum, more prompt and positive intervention in cases of abuse, better protection for victims - including stringent enforcement of restraining orders - and continued efforts to reduce the stigma attached to domestic abuse. That won't stop the violence, but it should make the world a bit safer for those most at risk of domestic violence.