This Month's Twin Tragedies in Louisiana and Virginia Could Have Been Prevented

"These tragedies are not unpredictable. They are patterned—and they are preventable. We recognize the risk. We simply fail to act on it."

"I have sat across from women who were deeply afraid, and I have watched as their fears were minimized, explained away, or ignored by the very systems meant to protect them."

"Domestic abuse is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44, accounting for more injuries than car accidents, muggings, and stranger rapes combined."

"One in three women in the United States experiences intimate partner violence. Women are eight times as likely as men to be victimized by an intimate partner."

Domestic violence is a gender-based crime predominantly affecting women, with one in three women experiencing intimate partner violence. Warning signs such as coercive control and access to weapons are often ignored by institutions. The failure to act on these signs results in preventable tragedies. Domestic abuse is the leading cause of injury to women aged 15 to 44, affecting not only women but also a significant number of children. The systemic minimization of women's fears contributes to the ongoing cycle of violence.

Read at Slate Magazine