Oct 2, 2009 4:16 pm US/Central
Is Economy To Blame For Rise In Domestic Violence?
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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The rough economy is taking its toll on families. (File)
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The rough economy is taking its toll on families, and for some it's turned deadly, CBS station WCBS-TV reports.
In January, a father killed his entire family, before turning the gun on himself, after losing his job.
Three months later, a father having financial problems killed his wife, three children and himself in the family's Maryland home.
Tanya McLeod survived six years of domestic violence, and now helps other victims. She says the rough economy compounds everything.
"If the abuser loses their job, it's even harder for the victim to get out, it's harder for the victim to give an account of why they need money, why they need transportation or why they need food for the kids," McLeod says. "So it makes it harder on the victim, and a lot of people are losing their lives."
A report just released by the Division of Criminal Justice Services found that intimate partner homicides in New York State increased by 25 percent in 2008, and half the women murdered that same year were killed by an intimate partner.
Nathaniel Fields is with Safe Horizon, and he says while some are blaming the economy for the increase in domestic violence, he sees it creating circumstances where more victims are staying with their abusers.
"While stress is increasing, it is not creating a batterer – the batterer already had these particular behaviors," Fields says. "Women may have fewer options, where they were already stretched with thinking about leaving and finances are down. The reality may be that they may not have enough money for a new place to go, or even be more concerned about supporting their children."
Fields says every victim needs to know there are options out there and countless organizations ready to help, from anonymous counseling over the phone to finding families a safe place to live.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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