Alaska has the nation's highest rate of men murdering women, more than double the U.S. average, according to a study released Monday by Violence Policy Center.
The study said that 2.57 of every 100,000 women in the Last Frontier were murdered by men in 2012 -- more than double the national average of 1.16. That represents nine women murdered in Alaska under circumstances involving only one female victim and one male murderer.
"One is too many," Gov. Sean Parnell said in response to the numbers.
The study used data collected from the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Report. According to the data, the average age of women killed in Alaska in 2012 was 41. Four were shot -- none with a handgun, according to the study -- three were killed with knives "or other cutting instruments," and one was killed using blunt force. One was not accounted for in the study.
All but one knew her killer, and many of the killers and victims were in intimate relationships. Half of the deaths followed an argument, the study said.
Sadly this is nothing new up here .
The men of this state have long represented a significant danger to the women of this state, especially during the dark days of winter when alcohol flows and cabin fever rears its ugly head.
The article goes on to discuss Parnell's "Choose Respect" campaign which aside from a couple of Palin-like photo-ops has been essentially a huge dud.
Parnell likes to talk about what the project is doing, but even with a fifteen million dollar grant from the US Justice Department he hasn't done dick.
And at least one of my Senators agrees with me:
"The state needs to be more focused on this issue, not just have a bumper sticker campaign," Begich said during a phone call from Washington, D.C. He called the Choose Respect campaign a good conversation starter, but ultimately, he said, it's not doing enough to solve the problem, as Alaska also has high rates of domestic violence and sexual assault.
We need to do something comprehensive up here to protect our women, and handing out brochures and giving speeches is just not enough.
Not by a long shot.
This report and the AK National Guard mess shows a disgusting lack of concern from the last two GOP administrations. Would Bill Walker be willing to ask and would Walt Monegan agree to be reinstated in his old job as AK public safety commissioner?
ReplyDeleteYou could be Mississippi, which is last in EVERY list.
ReplyDeleteCome on, many yrs MS has been first in teen pregnancy, I think they are currently first in children living in poverty and first in the least number of children graduating., and they are certainly near the top in racism.
DeleteMaybe women ought to be declared an endangered species up there in Alaska, what do ya' say!? I wonder if Snowdrift Snooki'll start hunting them from helicopters, though?
ReplyDeleteHey Yeah! And with any amount of luck she'll get confide (okay, MORE confused) and shoot herself!
DeleteAs repulsive as the statistics are, one way to curb the killing of women is to teach boys, at an early age to respect women and their contributions to the family and the state. The school my son went to had classes in Women's history along with how to have respectful dialogues and conversations in their presence. The junior prom was a practice in social skills and the importance of manners, and everyone got graded.
ReplyDeleteAlcohol, months of darkness, and long winters have been shown to cause depression, which I'm sure is a big part of the problem.