Domestic violence

The Courier-Journal has a 10-piece package on fighting domestic violence in Kentucky:

In the past three years, 49 Kentuckians have been killed by their husbands, boyfriends or former mates — victims of the ultimate form of domestic violence, according to a state advocacy group and news accounts.

Yet only seven of those victims had domestic-violence orders from the courts to protect themselves from their alleged abusers, according to a Courier-Journal review.

Advocates say there are a variety of reasons that battered women don't seek protective orders, including embarrassment and fear — and the perception that they don't work.

But statewide figures indicate they generally do keep abusers at bay — while 23,378 protective orders were issued last year, there were only 3,501 charges for violations of orders.

SNIP

Victim advocates say it's difficult to reconcile those findings with the reality that so few of the victims in the domestic-violence homicide cases reviewed by The Courier-Journal tried to protect themselves with protective orders.

“We are trying to do a better job letting women know what remedies are out there,” said Sherry Currens, executive director of the Kentucky Domestic Violence Association. “But I talk to people all the time who don't really have a good sense of what protections are available.”

Read the whole thing.