Domestic Violence

Each year, the Utah Domestic Violence Council puts out a report on domestic violence related deaths in the state. As it should be, it is disturbing reading.

Each tragic death is explained in detail. The victim! The perpetrator! The circumstances! It is there to read. And as one reads what happened, it becomes compellingly clear that some people in intimate relationships are dreadfully capable of doing terrible things to another.

There was a bit of good news with the latest report. In 2007, Utah had the fewest number of domestic violence deaths since 2002 - 18 of them. That's considerably fewer than the 33 recorded in 2005 and the 27 in 2006.

Perhaps, public awareness campaigns are having an impact. We can hope that those in threatening situations are getting help. Still, as the Council's press release stated, "it is crucial to recognize that domestic violence occurs in all communities, without respect to income, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual preference, age or disability. Domestic violence is a social ill that affects all society, and it must be stopped."

Already this year, the horrific murder in a church parking lot in Lehi underscores the reality that this is a plague that must not be ignored. KSL believes valid efforts to reduce domestic murder, indeed all forms of domestic violence, warrant broad community support.