Margaret Brackett

Contributing Columnist

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The annual report from the Violence Against Women Act reports heroic steps have been taken to reduce domestic violence, but far more needs to be done to stop the epidemic of violence against women which is tragic and unacceptable. This year’s report applies to 2013. The most recent year data is available.

Firearms – especially handguns – were the weapons most commonly used by males to murder females. The majority of these homicides were not related to any other felony crime, such as robbery or rape. Most often, females were killed by males in the course of an argument between the victim and the offender.

Nancy Barton, executive director of Sistercare Inc., works to educate the public about domestic violence. After over two decades with Sistercare Inc., she has seen too much and heard too many stories where the only punch line comes from a fist. These stories and the women who experienced them have kept her going all her professional life.

She makes no illusions about the all-consuming nature of her profession and the grim statistics that bolster it.

“For me, it’s a life’s work. Domestic violence is real,” she said. “A woman will be battered every 15 seconds in the United States. Battering is the No. 1 cause of injury to women, and eight million children are affected by domestic violence. South Carolina has one of the worst records in the nation for deaths from domestic violence. South Carolina is now ranked No. 1 in the rate of men killing women, based on 2013 data.”

This year is the third time the Violence Policy Center has ranked South Carolina in a top spot in the past 10 years. There were 57 S.C. victims of criminal domestic violence from across the state that lost their lives as the result of domestic violence. Nationally, there were 1,615 females murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents that were submitted to the FBI for its Homicide Report. Firearms — especially handguns — were the weapons of choice.

These statistics reveal only a sliver of the story. Underlying the numbers are the somber stories of people whose homes are no longer havens. The women know isolation, threats and the fear of physical harm. The children “walk on eggshells” and witness debilitating acts of violence in their homes.

The sad reality is that women are nearly always murdered by someone they know. Already, many elected officials and community leaders are working tirelessly to reduce the toll of domestic violence. Yet despite these efforts, the numbers remain unacceptably high. We need new policies in place from local communities to the federal government to protect women from harm. No American, adult or child, should live in a perpetual state of fear. It’s inhumane.

Sistercare is one of 13 shelter programs in the state. We also provide counseling support groups in five Midlands counties, including Newberry, and work with local liaisons to provide education on domestic violence prevention. We serve more women in our community based programs than in the shelters. It is an extreme choice to run from your home unless you absolutely have to. If women do run, Sistercare operates three shelters that can provide a safe haven to plan for the future. The locations are kept confidential.

Sistercare has a full-time Newberry County Advocate to assist victims of domestic violence and their children. (321-2155 extension 191) Sistercare offers a free-of-charge, weekly battered women’s support group in a confidential location in Newberry County

Despite the danger, victims are willing to take the risks to leave the abuse. The three shelters fielded over 3,072 crisis line calls last year. The shelters admitted 482 battered women and their children last year, average length of stay 35 days. Victims turned away due to unavailable space, 95.

The total domestic violence victims served in all programs was 6,465. The volunteer hours contributed was 9,396. The goal of Sistercare is to keep abused and battered people — real people in the community who may be your neighbors, relatives or fellow churchgoers — at the forefront.

Daily, our staff assesses the situations, provide counseling, and help the victim maneuver the legal system. The Sistercare staff of seasoned professionals bears the brunt of the emotional roller coaster domestic violence represents. Counselors who have survived battering often provide the most powerful example to those in crisis.

Among the most wrenching cases was the 1994 murder of Vickie Lander Beckham from Newberry County, who was killed in a murder-for-hire by her husband, Steve Beckman.

There are cries heard in homes throughout our community, the sounds of women and children pursuing safety in the sanctity of their own homes. In the worst case scenario, women stay and endure the abuse because the chances of being killed are 75 percent greater if they leave.

Children are killed too, or forced to see their mother murdered. It is for the protection of their children that many women stay in abusive relationships. These battered women think they can manage behavior, or at least confine the focus solely on themselves by staying in the relationship. There are not really good choices. They are ultimatums. With no other recourse, as most good mothers, they do what is necessary to protect the physical safety of their children.”

A United Way Agency, Sistercare, Inc. is a nonprofit assistance and shelter program for women and children who are victims of domestic violence. A crisis-line, 1-800-637-7606, is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A counselor is always available to talk with women who are victims of abuse and to provide information about assistance. Newberry County Sistercare phone number is 321-2155, Extension 191.

Become a Friend of Sistercare — Your contribution in the amount most appropriate for you will be gratefully accepted. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Margaret Brackett is from Newberry. Her columns appear weekly in The Newberry Observer.