National Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Around 4,000 women have died from domestic violence in the past year
At least three women die per day due to domestic violence in the US alone
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Your support makes all the difference.October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month in the United States.
It is a subject that is largely ignored by mainstream media, given that three women are murdered every day in the US by their current and former partners, according to the Domestic Abuse Shelter.
Some statistics show that as many as 4,000 women per year die from domestic violence around the world.
In a statement, President Barack Obama said it is everyone’s responsibility to speak out against domestic violence, and to not forget all the women who may receive abuse – including older women, women with disabilities, LGBT members and native and indigenous women.
“Our nation's character is tested whenever this injustice is tolerated," he said.
"When anyone is targeted by someone they place their trust in, we have a responsibility to speak up.”
Mr Obama said the rate of domestic violence against women has dropped by three quarters over the last two decades.
But in a country where one in four women and one in seven men experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, there remains much work to be done.
Victims of domestic violence can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline on 1-800-799-7233.
Only the most extreme cases tend to make the headlines. Below are just five of the women who died in the last year.
Megan Short
The 33-year-old and her three children were shot dead by her husband, Mark Short, on the day that she had threatened to leave him after 16 years of marriage.
The week before, Megan had commented on a link to a Washington Post article by Leigh Stein on Facebook, called “He didn’t hit me. It was still abuse.”
Megan wrote to her friend: “This is why I am leaving my marriage Angie.”
Three quarters of domestic abuse-related deaths occur while the women attempt to leave the relationship or have already left, according to the Domestic Abuse Shelter.
Veronica Rodriguez
28-year-old Veronica was allegedly strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend, Juan Camacho, at the home they shared in Philadelphia.
Her four children, three girls and a boy, were sleeping next door. She had broken up with her boyfriend six months prior to the attack in May.
The alleged murderer text her mother shortly after. “I’m sorry I killed your daughter,” it read.
He has been charged with murder, rape, sexual assault and abuse of a corpse.
Jennifer Streit-Spears
Jennifer was stabbed to death by her boyfriend in Texas in May. He took pictures of the 43-year-old’s body and posted them on Facebook.
Alleged murderer Kenneth Alan Amyx wrote beside the photo: "Please pray for us."
The pictures were spotted by the victim’s sister, who battled to get the pictures taken down.
A former neighbour told CBS: "Anytime you saw people coming out of there, they looked normal, didn’t look angry, didn’t look like murderers or anything."
Obiamaka Aduba
26-year-old Obiamaka was allegedly murdered by her husband, Anthony Lopez, who had 52 previous arrests, several of which were related to domestic violence.
He strangled his wife to death with a ligature, put her body in a metal trolley and wheeled it down the street in New York.
Kelsey Annese
The 21-year-old New York State University student was stabbed to death alongside her male friend, Matthew Hutchinson, by her ex-boyfriend, Colin Kingston, a former student at the same university.
Kelsey had been studying education, Spanish and psychology and played on the women’s basketball team.
After the alleged double murder, Kingston called his father and then stabbed himself.
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