‘A lot of work left to do:’ Second report on KY domestic violence shows too many victims.

The second annual report on Kentucky’s domestic violence statistics was released Monday, and it confirms the problem remains a scourge of violence across the state that hurts far too many women, men and children.

The overall numbers from 2023 didn’t budge much from the year before, though there were some slight improvements in the number of emergency orders served.

“The numbers in this year’s report are similar to the previous year, which means we still have a lot of work left to do,” Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Keith Jackson said in a release.

“I ask that the commonwealth increase collaboration among advocacy groups, law enforcement, prosecutors and the judicial system. Let’s create a new Kentucky home together, one where our children are safer and victims have every opportunity to rebuild their lives.”

According to the report:

▪ 1 in 2 women and 1 in 3 men in Kentucky have experienced domestic violence. While 50 percent of Kentucky women and 30 percent of men have been victims, the report shows that accused abusers are 3.5 times more likely to be men.

▪ 7,744 arrests were made for incidents involving domestic or dating violence and abuse. Last year, the number was 8,867. the discrepancy was explained because this year’s report excludes human trafficking to help provide a clearer picture.

▪ 41,887 electronic JC-3 forms — the report made by police in all domestic violence complaints — filed compared to 38,708 filed last year.

▪ In 2023, Kentucky State Police served 17,036 Emergency Protective Orders (EPOs) compared to 16,402 the year before.

▪ 15,104 individuals received services from ZeroV, the state’s 15 regional domestic violence programs, while 23,381 crisis/hotline calls were received.

▪ Thanks to a recommendation from ZeroV, the state coalition of domestic violence programs, the report this year showed that 26,582 unique reports of alleged child abuse were made to the cabinet through an adult or child abuse hotline in which there were also allegations of domestic violence.

Children are innocent victims in domestic violence situations, but the consequences follow them their whole lives, said Courtney Downs, chief innovation officer for Kentucky Youth Advocates.

“It’s so devastating and upsetting thinking about the lived experiences of these children, living in a home where there’s a constant fear of violence,” Downs said. “It’s important for people to know how widespread this is — it intersects with a lot of other issues, such as kids ending up in the welfare system or in juvenile justice or having trouble in school.”

Downs said people need to educate themselves about the signs of domestic violence so they can offer a non-judgmental hand when it’s needed.

“It’s extremely hard, dangerous and scary — the last thing a survivor needs is to be met with judgment.”

ZeroV is required to make a set of recommendations based on the data every fall to the legislature. Last fall, they made several regarding the clarity of the data, and one perennial suggestion to better fund the state’s advocates.

The group issued a statement saying they were glad to see some of their recommendations had been added to the report.

“ZeroV believes that any level of violence greater than zero is a concern that deserves the attention of our Commonwealth,” the group said.

“We must also remember that the data in this report are not simply numbers; they represent real people’s lives impacted by violence. As such, our goal for the next few years is to increase the clarity, accuracy and precision of the data, which includes making it easier for different agencies to collaborate around data collection and sharing.”

The report was created by Republican Sen. Whitney Westerfield’s Senate Bill 271 in 2022, which required the Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center to collect information from Kentucky State Police, Cabinet for Health and Family Service and the Administrative Office of the Courts, and local law enforcement agencies about domestic violence fatalities; domestic violence and abuse; dating violence and abuse; and protective orders issued within the commonwealth.

Before this report, domestic violence advocacy groups had used a newspaper clipping service to keep track of domestic violence homicides.

What’s still missing from the report is what really got it all started: the question of exactly how many people are killed each year because of domestic violence. According to the Administrative office of the Courts, Kentucky’s circuit courts in 2023 showed 32 charges of murder and 21 charges of attempted murder, roughly the same as last year.

“If we still don’t know how many people have died, all I can say is that we are not seeing the full picture of domestic violence in Kentucky,” Sen. Westerfield said, “and we can’t rest until we do.”

Kentucky has 15 programs supporting survivors of domestic violence. Also available 24/7 are the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).