ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired Aug. 7, 2023
An organization that monitors relationship violence says the deaths of 24 Minnesotans in 2022 are directly tied to issues of abuse of power and control that turned deadly.
Violence Free Minnesota released its annual Homicide Report Monday, to usher in Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It details the cases of 24 lives lost last year in incidents either directly or randomly related to domestic violence. The report says 21 of those deaths were women who were killed by a current or former intimate partner, and three who were either intervening in a violent situation or an innocent bystander.
The advocacy group says because of those deaths, 31 minor children are left without a parent.
“I want to say words of compassion and condolence for the family and loved ones of the victims we have lost in 2022,” said Violence Free Minnesota Executive Director Guadalupe Lopez. “I want to uplift the role of what advocacy does for victims/survivors. Intimate partner violence is preventable. Advocates who are members of the community are best equipped to address the violence their community faces. They are the experts. Please listen to their leadership and expertise. Increased funding and investment in their services is necessary to save lives.”
The report shares the story of each victim, both those from the Twin Cities metro and from greater Minnesota, to make them more than a statistic. It also breaks down a list of risk factors that can be red flags indicating a greater chance violent intimate relationships can turn deadly.
Key Risk Factors:
- Victim’s attempts to leave the abuser
- Previous threats to kill the victim
- The abuser’s access to firearms
- Abuser’s history of violence
- Strangulation of the victim
Violence Free Minnesota says the report is to memorialize victims but also to examine "a culmination of collective and widespread failures across multiple systems" that allowed their deaths to occur.
"We recognize we cannot fill the holes left behind by the individuals in this report. No one can. But we owe it to them, and to every person who loved them, to prevent one another from falling in. Intimate partner violence is consuming," the report reads. "It is all-encompassing. But as we honor and mourn the lives of those lost, we also honor the wisdom of advocates, peacemakers, and survivors and recognize that domestic violence, too, is preventable."
You can read the entire report here.
Violence Free Minnesota is a statewide coalition of nearly 90 programs working to address relationship abuse and the issues that cause it.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and needs help, call 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788 to be connected with someone from the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline includes more options for support and identifiers of abuse on its website.
For Minnesota residents, Cornerstone MN offers resources and safe housing for domestic abuse survivors and crime victims. Call 1-866-223-1111 or chat online with the crisis hotline.
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