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Opinion
New
domestic abuse law must be strictly enforced
June
24, 2005
Domestic
abuse has been such a concern in South Carolina the
Legislature approved a tougher law to deal with the violence.
It took a controversy to get it done, but it was done, and
none too soon.
Hopefully, that will mean a better record in
the future. Meanwhile, according to the federal government,
child abuse and other forms of violence involving families
fell by more than a half between 1993 and 2002.
The rate of
family violence fell from about 5.4 victims to 2.1 victims per
1,000 residents age 12 and older, says a report from the
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
SIMPLE ASSAULT
WAS THE most frequent type of violent offense. Murder
accounted for less than one-half of 1 percent of all family
violence between 1998 and 2002. Those are the most recent
years analyzed for that report.
It’s encouraging to see
improvement, regardless of the category. In South Carolina,
though, a state where more women are killed by men than in any
other state, the low murder numbers are worthy of
note.
While there apparently have been improvements all
over the country, it’s still not enough, though, if domestic
abuse/violence threatens just one child or one woman. Under
the circumstances, the new and tougher law should be strictly
enforced. That may not eliminate this plague on humanity, but
it’s a good place to start.
Editorial expression in this feature represents
our own views.
Opinions are limited to this page.
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