When it comes to state rankings of where women are more likely to be murdered by men, Louisiana is fifth in the nation. According to the Violence Policy Center, the Bayou State has ranked in the top 10 consistently since 2009. VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand says a common thread among the southern states in the top ten is access to guns.
“We see in those states that a very high percentage of victims are killed with guns. We also know that the greatest risk to women is someone that they know, so a lot of this is related to domestic violence,” said Rand.
Rand says the ranking states also have a lack of resources for domestic abuse victims in addition to not enough focus on assisting abuse victims.
Another frightening statistic for women in Louisiana is that they are twice as likely to be murdered during or right after pregnancy. Rand says these women are most likely to be killed by their intimate partners.
“We do know that pregnancy does increase a woman’s risk of homicide which is just really stunning if you stop to think about it,” said Rand.
In 2016 and 2017 Louisiana ranked second among women murdered by men and the numbers used in the latest rankings are from 2019 and in 2018 ranked 5th as well. However, Rand says moving from second to fifth is not necessarily an improvement.
“The same states tend to sort of change positions, in the study each year we do it. So, I’m sad to say I doubt that you’re seeing any real improvement,” said Rand.
The complication of FBI statistics also shows that black women are twice as likely to be murdered by someone they know compared to white females.
Rand urges lawmakers to adopt laws to enhance the enforcement of federal legislation to remove guns from those guilty of domestic abuse and to give women more resources to protect themselves from their abusers.
For more information visit the Violence Policy Center at VPC.org.
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