Domestic violence is one of the defining public safety crises of West Virginia. And we’re not angry enough. Where is our outrage? Our fury?
Note: This story contains discussions of violence. If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic violence, you can reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE.
Here’s the macabre question: How many women will die before West Virginia gets serious about domestic violence?
Lora Farley and others.
All these women were murdered this year and or their perpetrators were sentenced this year. Did you read that? This year alone. It’s horrific.
The killers were men they trusted: their husbands, partners and boyfriends.
But let’s be clear: it doesn’t start out as murder. It starts as abuse. And red flags abound. We must learn how to detect them, and punish domestic violence before it’s too late.
According to The World Population Review, 44 out of every 100 West Virginia women have experienced a form of domestic violence. That’s almost one in two. We rank fourth highest in the nation. And these are only reported numbers. The actual ones are likely much higher.
And while these women were murdered by those they knew, I want to talk about stalkers as well. They are often complete strangers.
Society treats the term “stalker” as a joke. Normalized it. But this should not be the case. They are a human leach. Tick. And they attack a woman’s freedom to travel, to go where she pleases, to do what she likes.
Stalkers are indefatigable. They change phone numbers repeatedly when blocked. Become untrackable. They create new Facebook accounts using different names.
I know women who stopped going to certain stores, restaurants, and even hobbies, because of stalkers. A friend had tires slashed. One fled across the country from her abuser when police failed to intervene. These stories should shock our souls into action. If not, what will?
But West Virginia has taken positive steps towards change.
House Bill 5101, the Joanna Phillips Domestic Violence Prevention Act, was passed by the West Virginia Legislature and signed into law this year. It clarifies the definition of domestic violence and increases criminal penalties for certain acts.
And other good news happened this month: Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced $700,000 in grant funds to support victims of domestic violence.
This matters. In just one day in 2024, the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence received 110 calls to its hotline and served nearly 370 victims of domestic violence, writes Caity Coyne of West Virginia Watch. That is an astonishing large number.
But don’t celebrate yet. While funding announcements are made, the system underneath remains fragile. The grant Morrisey announced is federal money, and that funding is on the chopping block for next time. The Trump administration proposed significant reductions to federal violence-against-women programs, threatening the very funding streams in the grant.
Progress is inching along–but let’s shove it onwards. The gains women have made are tenuous and recent. Women in the United States could not have a personal bank account or secure a loan until 1974 following the passage of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA).
And the WV Senate did not pass a bill removing the marriage exemption from sexual assault until 2024. That’s outrageous.
There is much we have done–and have yet to do–to ensure a woman is healthy, safe and free. Let’s unpack it:
First, train police to recognize escalation before violence turns deadly. Second, recruit more women into law enforcement — they more likely understand nuanced warning signs. Third, treat stalking seriously. Fourth, fund more victim services and child protection and open more shelter beds. Fifth, strengthen abuse sentencing guidelines.
Because there is hope. The next domestic-violence-related murder is not inevitable. It can be stopped. Now, let’s stop it.
