Not necessarily domestic violence

Study, Released for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, Ranks Alaska #1 in Rate of Women Murdered by Men

WASHINGTON, DC�The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2003 Homicide Data. This annual report details national and state-by-state information on female homicides involving one female murder victim and one male offender. The VPC releases the study each year to coincide with Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. In 2003, the most recent data available from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's unpublished Supplementary Homicide Report, firearms were the most common weapon used by males to murder females (835 of 1,678 homicides or 50 percent). Of these, 77 percent (647 of 835) were committed with handguns. Alaska ranks first in the nation in the rate of women killed by men. Ranked behind Alaska are: Nevada, Louisiana, New Mexico, Tennessee, South Carolina, Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas. Nationally, the rate was 1.31 per 100,000.

VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand states, "These numbers should serve as a wake-up call to the states with the highest rates of female homicide. In identifying solutions to domestic violence, the role firearms play must be addressed."

The study's release comes as the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), originally passed in 1994 and reauthorized in 2000, is set to expire on September 30th� unless Congress acts. VAWA has improved awareness, protection, and criminal justice response for victims of domestic violence.