Findings from the CT Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee

As I think about what I should write for my weekly blog, I came across an article that discusses a new report from the Connecticut Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee, which was written by the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The article by the CT News Junkie, "Couple Keeps Daughter's Memory Alive Through Fatality Review" discusses how Larry and Shirley Bostrom, after the murder of their daughter in 1996 by her husband, made it their life mission to create this committee to help other victims. I became interested in this article because I know Larry and Shirley through attending Survivors of Homicide with them. Survivors of Homicide is an organization for people who suffered the murder of a relative or close friend. I always knew they were working on preventing domestic violence, but never knew how much they had actually accomplished until I read this article.

It took over a decade for the first report from the committee to be released. I hope this report will be used to create change. It identifies that over the nine years that the study was done and with 146 intimate partner fatalities, few of the victims knew that services were available to them and often did not think of themselves as victims. Also troubling was the finding that there are few resources available to children who witness domestic violence and when law enforcement responds to a domestic violence fatality there is not a consistent response in dealing with children.

This hit home with me, because about a month ago in my hometown of Southington two streets away from where I grew up a father murdered his ex wife in front of their children and then took his own life. I always wondered what happened to the children, who they would live with, and what services would be available to help them through this tragedy. The family was from Bosnia and I was not sure if they had any relatives they could live with or get support from and I wondered what services were available to them. I later read in the Record Journal article, "Two Dead in Murder-Suicide in Plantsville" that they were able to live with their uncle, but I still worried that they wouldn't have appropriate services to help them heal after witnessing such an awful act of violence. The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence has pledged to help in all of these areas. They are going to develop a media guide and work with social networks to reach out to victims about available services. They also plan to seek legislative changes that will allow children who witness domestic violence to be eligible for services through the Office of Victims Services and to work with law enforcement when responding children at a domestic violence fatality.

I look forward to see these changes in action and hope those affected will really be helped. Does anyone think this is an appropriate response and that these changes will actually happen and be helpful?