Georgia ranks 7th in the country for its rate at which men kill women in single victim homicides, most of which were intimate partners, according to a study conducted by the Violence Policy Center. In the study, titled “When Men Murder Women,” Georgia has been in the top 10 for 4 years.

Attorney General Thurbert Baker joined with the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (GCADV) and the Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV) at the release of the third annual Domestic Violence Fatality Review report. The report provides information on the scope of domestic violence in Georgia and suggestions for ways that communities can take action. The Georgia Domestic Violence Fatality Review Project is a statewide initiative that has reviewed the open records pertaining to 54 homicides in which Georgians have lost their lives due to domestic violence. Some of the key findings from the report are as follows:

There were 372 Domestic Violence deaths in Georgia from 2003 through 2005 85% of the victims of domestic violence had previously been battered by their killer 57% of the perpetrators of these domestic violence fatalities had previously threatened the lives of their victims 44% of the cases where a fatality resulted occurred while children were present

A majority of these deaths are preventable, and the report recommends solutions for prevention. According to Attorney General, Thurbert Baker, “Too many Georgians have lost their lives to domestic violence. This report offers a call to action as well as a roadmap for communities that want to end these homicides.”

Attorney General Baker was joined at the roll-out of the report by Georgia Horsley, whose daughter was killed by her abusive boyfriend ten years ago. Horsley’s story of tragedy serves as a call to action for law enforcement, prosecutors, employers and advocacy groups, according to Baker. Baker went on that it will take “cooperative efforts from all segments of the community to stem the tide of violence against women in our state.”

The Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (GCADV), a membership organization serving the 43 certified domestic violence shelters throughout the state, works to achieve safety and justice for domestic violence victims. The Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV) was created in 1992 by the state legislature to develop a comprehensive state plan for ending family violence in Georgia. Both organizations work in tandem to provide support and advocacy for victims, to hold batterers accountable for their violence, and to end the problem of domestic violence.

The report can be viewed in its entirety at: http://gcadv.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Fatality-Review-Annual-Report-2007.pdf.