SALT LAKE CITY, Utah— Domestic violence is on the rise in Utah and many people don’t report it for fear of retribution or even because they don’t have legal standing, amid a lethal assessment law passed by the legislature. is in
In recent days, a Salt Lake City man allegedly killed his 16-year-old son and then committed suicide. While this Wednesday another person was involved in an incident of domestic violence that ended with shots and hours of imprisonment, but luckily no one was injured. Two women managed to get out of the house safely.
According to Department of Health statistics, 3 out of 10 women and 10% of men in the United States have experienced or will experience some form of domestic violence.
Experts say the problem is even greater in the Hispanic community, and especially women, who for immigration reasons do not dare to denounce their attackers without knowing they are protected by the law.
Lawyer Carlos Trujillo expressed that “people need to know that this type of conduct is to be condemned. Many of these people need help; and many of the victims who have come to pay the price with their lives are still could have been alive if they had condemned the violence they were facing.
The law, which came into force on May 3, seeks to prevent cases of domestic violence. The law does two things: First, it creates a database of domestic violence incidents that police can use to track how often an abuser has been linked to an incident.
The second part of the project is to force police to conduct a so-called lethality assessment program, a questionnaire of 11 questions that victims of domestic violence are asked to rate the danger they are in. Such as having been strangled before, or having a partner with a weapon, or having an alcohol problem.
“This law is necessary. Because in fact there are many cases where domestic violence was reported and a good investigation was not done where a more expensive price was paid, ”says Trujillo.
Some aspects to identify a potential bully are if the person is irritable, manipulative, if he constantly points out mistakes, if he intimidates, if he humiliates and if he is overly jealous. There are the characteristics of the doer.
Remember that you have these resources:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Hotline: 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFETY (7233)
- Online Live Chat: thehotline.org
If you or someone else is in immediate danger or emergency, call 9-1-1 immediately.
