Statewide Iowa — A report by the Iowa Attorney General’s Crime Victim Assistance Division shows there were 17 domestic violence deaths in the state during the first nine months of 2021.
Division Director, Sandi Tibbetts Murphy, says that is the same amount in all of 2020.
Tibbetts Murphy can’t say there is a direct link to the pandemic — but says it is an aggravating factor.
She says many of the service providers work one-on-one with the victims and the pandemic has made that difficult.
Tibbetts Murphy says the Victims of Crime Act or VOCA federal funding dropped nearly 18 million dollars this year and that is also a concern.
She says a fix is in the works to restore some of the funding, but it could take some time. Eleven of the 17 people killed so far this year have been women, and that has been the case since the statistics started being tracked in 1995.
Tibbetts Murphy says you should get help in dealing with your situation.
Some of the domestic violence resources available include the Iowa Domestic Violence Helpline at 800-770-1650. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 800-799-SAFE or 799-7233. You can text “START” to 88788. The Love is Respect Teen Dating Violence Hotline is 866-331-9474, or text “LOVEIS” to 22522. All services are free and confidential.
