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Council made aware of troubling trends in effort to reduce domestic violence and sexual assault in King County
Summary
Committee told that County funding to hold steady in 2012 Budget
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Representatives of agencies that work with the survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault told the Metropolitan King County Council’s Committee of the Whole today that service providers are seeing an increase in individuals needing their assistance.Councilmembers were briefed by Mary Ellen Stone, Executive Director of the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KSARC), and Barbara Langdon, Executive Director, Eastside Domestic Violence Program (EDVP). During the presentation, the Committee was told that domestic violence is on the rise in King County and throughout the nation. EDVP has seen a dramatic increase in urgent requests on their 24-Hour Crisis Line for life-saving services and shelter.
Stone and Langdon said that incidents of sexual assault and domestic violent are not isolated to one specific region or socio-economic class of the community. On the Eastside, victims tend to underreport domestic violence and sexual assault. Local service providers have cited reluctance on the part of more prominent or affluent domestic violence survivors to come for services due to shame, potential lack of income, and fear of embarrassing a partner and making matters worse. Sexual assault survivors in many Eastside communities tend to use private therapists instead of non-profit organizations for help in an effort to avoid reporting to law enforcement.
“What really troubles me is the trend of under reporting,” said Council Vice Chair Jane Hague, chair of the Committee of the Whole. “I’m extremely thankful for KSARC, EDVP and all our other local agencies for the good work that they do. As a member of the Budget Leadership Team I’m also happy to see that funding will remain stable this year. We need to come together as a community and continue the fight, even in these austere times, to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault.”
South King County has experienced rapid population growth and also has the highest numbers of individuals and families living in poverty. Since child sexual abuse is more frequently reported to law enforcement than is adult rape, South County has the highest number of requests for help and reports to law enforcement.
“A sexual assault crime which can profoundly impact the victim and her or his family,” said Stone. “Fortunately the King County region has excellent services for survivors and a climate which encourages victims to seek help. It is critical that assistance for victims be maintained and expanded to meet the unmet need.”
Other troubling statistics include:
• Local law enforcement has reported a rise in aggravated assaults and about 70 percent of these are domestic violence cases. Victims are staying in violent relationships longer due to fewer resources and fewer options. When clients arrive at our doors asking for safety and support, resources are in such short supply that the road to independence and self-sufficiency is going to be a very long and challenging one.
• Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the U.S.; it is estimated that 22 to 35 percent of all women seeking medical treatment in hospital emergency rooms are victims of spousal/partner abuse. Domestic violence is the number one reason women and children in King County become homeless.
• A significant number of victims (adults and children) do not seek assistance. A study commissioned by the Washington State Office of Crime Victim Advocacy indicated that 38 percent of victims do not seek assistance from anyone and 15 percent report to law enforcement.
“We come before the King County Council oftentimes with bad news,” said Langdon. “But even with the all troubling statistics, there's still a lot of good news out there. Since 1982, EDVP has provided services to more than 109,000 victims of domestic violence. There are a lot of inspiring success stories out there.”
October is recognized nationally as “Domestic Violence Awareness Month.” Despite the progress made locally and nationwide in addressing domestic violence an average of three women in America die as a result of domestic violence each day.
“Even ten years ago it would’ve been difficult to have this discussion,” said Hague. “Fortunately we can now open this channel of communication and brainstorm ways to prevent sexual assault and domestic violence, and treat survivors. ”