October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, more than 40% of Oklahoma women and 38% of Oklahoma men will face domestic violence in their lifetimes. A 2020 Violence Policy Center study ranked Oklahoma 3rd in the nation in the rate of female homicide victims. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation reported 27,089 domestic abuse cases in 2020. Domestic abuse cases in Oklahoma are trending upwards. Most domestic abuse offenses in Oklahoma are categorized as assault and battery. In Oklahoma, 2% of domestic abuse offenses are murder.
“Abuse is physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological, or threats that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure, or wound someone,” says a statement by the United Nations on domestic abuse. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1 in 4 women aged 15-49 have been a victim of physical or sexual violence by a partner. Africa and Southeast Asia ranked highest in a study on rates of domestic violence against women by the WHO.
“For too long, domestic violence was considered a ‘family issue’ and was left for families to address in private. – Domestic violence is an abuse of power that tears apart the fabric of relationships and families and undermines the well-being of communities,” said President Joe Biden in a proclamation on September 30th. Biden unveiled the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and said his administration is working to “prevent and respond to gender-based violence globally.” Biden says the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problem of domestic violence. Referring to the power given to him from the constitution, Biden called all Americans to take a stand against domestic violence.
“Domestic violence often involves criminal conduct and is considered by the Department of State to be notoriously disgraceful conduct,” says the U.S. Department of State.
The Oklahoma OCUPD has reported zero cases of domestic violence between 2018 and 2020. OCU Police Chief Dexter Nelson says this number “reflects the actual number of incidents reported to campus police.” He explained that college campuses are not “immune to these types of incidents.” “College campuses are small microcosms of society. Anything that occurs in society as a whole can happen here on campus.” He believes that OCU’s small size is a primary reason the campus has so few cases of domestic violence. He recommends that victims of domestic and dating violence find support from “Student affairs, the Title IX Office, housing, resident assistants, resident directors, counseling services, police, family, and friends.”
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