TULSA, Okla — October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and people at Tulsa’s Domestic Violence Intervention services say the incidents are on the rise.
The CEO of DVIS in Tulsa says that rise in domestic violence situations began in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, but now, two years later, the stats are still high.
“It does make us wonder if things are going in the wrong direction,” says Tulsa DVIS CEO Tracey Lyall.
Tracy Lyall has worked at DVIS for about 19 years, 15 of those as CEO.
Oklahoma is second in the nation for women murdered by men. The Violence Policy Center released a report showing that in 2020, 66 women in Oklahoma were killed by men, compared to 37 women killed by men in 2019, and just 21 in 2015. For 2020, the report shows in cases where the killer was identified, 78% of the victims knew their killer, and two-thirds of them were in a relationship with their killer.
The statistics for Tulsa and Tulsa County are just as staggering.
A report from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation says in 2020, there were more than 6,000 assault and batteries, 141 sex crimes, and 14 domestic violence murders in Tulsa County.
"It was really our notice of increases in domestic violence homicides in Tulsa that caused us to begin saying, 'we need to talk about this more and we need to have some community conversations about why,'" says Lyall.
DVIS launched “Community Talks," a series of conversations digging into topics like stalking, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Lyall says these conversations are important for everyone.
"One of the ways we can prevent further domestic violence is with the community helping," says Lyall. "And that’s not only people in the community but institutions in the community."
During the pandemic, DVIS launched a texting service for people needing help. You can text 207-7777 between 8:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m.
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