Domestic Violence Headlines for the Week of March 24

Violence against women dominated the headlines for yet another week, painting a stark picture of the challenges many women face daily. It’s a call to action to not only pay attention, but to do something about it and support survivors. 

Abusive Husband Arrested After Trying to Push Wife Off Cliff in Hawaii

A 36-year-old woman is in critical condition after her abusive husband, Gerhardt Konig, tried to push her off a cliff in Oahu before striking her in the head with a rock. Sources also tell local news that Konig, an anesthesiologist in Maui, also tried to inject his wife with two different syringes. 

The attempted murder took place on Monday around 10 a.m., after which Konig tried to escape being arrested. After a six-hour manhunt, officers apprehended the 46-year-old, who will likely be charged with second-degree murder. 

Police say the incident began after Konig’s wife, who has not yet been named, refused to take a picture with her husband during a hike. Advocates would attest that’s not really the reason her husband tried to murder her. Domestic violence is never the victim’s fault and is always a choice the abuser makes. 

Reports say those who know the couple were shocked to hear Konig tried to murder his wife. The couple are both prominent and successful members of the community, factors that don’t protect victims from domestic violence. Abuse by an intimate partner does not discriminate based on one’s education or socioeconomic level. 

“It is important to understand that the affluent feel pressure to put on a persona that matches their environment. This can further isolate survivors who are considered upper class. This is due in part to the abusive partner having power and influence within the community to maintain privacy, including when domestic violence occurs. This creates a sense of powerlessness for the survivor,” writes CarolAnn Peterson, PhD, in “Not to People Like Us.”

Abusers almost always escalate their abuse, and one sign of this escalation is taking their abuse from behind closed doors to out in public. This red flag shows that the abuser doesn’t care about the consequences of exerting power and control over their partner with possible witnesses present. It’s important that a survivor seriously consider escaping before the abuser can escalate further. That can begin with calling a trained domestic violence advocate and creating a safety plan. 

Source: Hawaii News Now

Sheriff’s Office Takes Over 2 Hours to Respond to DV 911 Call

In Harris County, Texas, the sheriff’s office is being accused of taking more than two and a half hours to respond to a domestic violence 911 call. The call came in on March 19 by a woman, whose identity is being concealed for safety, who said her husband came home drunk and then began to physically assault her. When the couple’s adult daughter tried to intervene, her father attacked her as well. 

The woman’s call to 911 came in at 8:30 p.m., but law enforcement did not respond until 11:07 p.m. The local news station confirmed that at least four other people called 911 after the survivor, including her relatives and neighbors. 

"Them taking two or three hours, everybody could have been dead," the daughter told the local ABC station. 

Meanwhile, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare says while the domestic violence remains under investigation, no charges have yet been filed against the alleged abuser. 

The survivor told ABC, "I felt like nobody should have to go through what I went through, and the fact that we didn't get help when we needed it [means] the next person might lose their life. So, I'm here to save another person, hopefully." 

According to a study by Sherry Hamby, Ph.D., research professor at the University of the South in Tennessee, less than two percent of domestic violence offenders ever receive jail time, and that’s only counting the cases that are reported to police. She estimates only one in four cases of domestic violence are ever reported. Holding domestic violence offenders accountable is vital, say advocates, or abusers are likely to continue the cycle. 

While abuse cannot be blamed on alcohol—as social worker Larry Bennett, PhD., of the Indiana School of Social Work puts it, “A batterer who quits drinking is a sober batterer”—research shows that nearly half of all men in batterer intervention programs have substance abuse issues and that they were eight times more likely to be abusive on a day in which they were drinking. 

“For a lot of abusers, drinking gives them a sense of entitlement to do what they do,” says Bennett. For more on this topic, read, “Why We Can’t Blame Abuse on Alcohol.”

Source: ABC13

Ukrainian Women Speak Out About Increased Violence at Home Since War Began

Women and girls in Ukraine are speaking out about increased levels of domestic violence since the war began in their country four years ago. A new study by UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, heard from hundreds of women and girls across the country who say that violence has increased inside and outside the home. 

"We've come to understand that even during continued shelling, home can be the most dangerous place for women due to growing stress related to the ongoing war," says Ulla Muller, the agency’s representative to Ukraine. Many of the survivors who spoke to UNFPA disclosed they felt forced into silence, saying it felt disrespectful to report abuse by their male partners or family members who had served in the military, many of which who are considered to be “heroes.” 

In addition, more than four million Ukrainians are displaced due to the war, and a severe lack of housing isn’t helping. Crowding and a lack of privacy in collective living situations for displaced families contributed to domestic violence and increased the risk of sexual abuse, said the report.

Gender-based violence is a worldwide epidemic, occurring in every country around the globe. While it most often refers to violence by an intimate partner, it encompasses any violence individuals face due to their gender, with female-identifying individuals most at risk and males most often the perpetrators. Sexual violence, specifically, has long been used as a weapon of war. Other types of gender-based violence that occur globally include forced marriage, acid attacks, dowry deaths and forced genital mutilation. To learn more, read “What Is Gender-Based Violence?”

Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation