Domestic Violence Fatality Information Released

Oklahoma Office of Attorney General Recommends Increase in Funding for Domestic Violence Service Providers

The Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board has recommended state funds allocated to Oklahoma’s certified domestic violence and sexual assault agencies increase to $16.1 million. This recommendation comes courtesy of the Review Board’s 2023 Annual Report and would increase the ability of shelters and agencies to meet the needs of survivors.

How Much Domestic Violence Is In Oklahoma?

“We support the Review Board’s list of recommendations, particularly the request for additional funding,” Jody Moore, Executive Director of Safenet Services, Inc. said. “Oklahoma has continued to be a top 10 state for domestic violence. The domestic violence state formula funding has been stagnant for more than two decades. There are many Oklahomans in critical need of services and we are pleading that state officials will do everything they can to help us carry out our life-saving mission.”

The purpose of the Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board is to reduce the number of domestic-violence-related deaths by identifying gaps in the domestic violence prevention and protection system and proposing recommendations aimed at improving the coordinated response of the individuals, organizations, and agencies that comprise the domestic violence prevention and protection systems in Oklahoma. Oklahoma ranks highest in the nation for incidences of domestic violence, with 50% of Oklahoman women affected in their lifetime. Oklahoma is also second in the nation for the number of women killed by men in single-victim, single-offender homicides. 105 victims were killed by their abuser in 2022, right here in our hometowns.

Why is Additional Funding Needed to Prevent Domestic Violence?

Service providers received word that the recently passed federal budget included 40% cuts in Victim of Crime Act funding, Oklahoma’s largest federal funder of domestic violence services. As resources are decreasing, the demand for services continues to rise. In 2023, Safenet served more than 2,000 individuals across Rogers and Mayes Counties.

End Violence Oklahoma (EVO) is a network of front-line providers who together make up the statewide voice for survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their children in Oklahoma. With 30+ member organizations providing direct services to survivors throughout Oklahoma, together they work towards ending domestic and sexual violence in our state. The initiative was formed following the dissolution of the Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (OCADVSA).

“The agencies that make up EVO are on the front lines of the fight to end domestic violence in Oklahoma,” said Jody Moore, Executive Director of Safenet Services, Inc.— a member agency of EVO. “Additional funding will provide life-changing opportunities to victims and survivors. Programs cannot wait another year for a funding increase.

Alternatively, maintaining funding at its current level, or reducing our funding further, will have a catastrophic impact on Oklahomans. There will be a real human cost for not prioritizing the health and safety of our communities.”

How Can I Help Domestic Violence Agencies?

Your local domestic violence agencies urgently need your support. Consider contacting your state legislators and voicing your concern for lack of resources to agencies. Donate your time and resources to assist your local agency in responding to this public health emergency. Now is the time to come together and address this epidemic of violence. We are all better together.