BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) - October is domestic violence awareness month and One Place Family Justice Center says it's the perfect time to remind the community of three messages.
“One, if you’re going through domestic violence, you’re not alone. Two, it’s not your fault. Three, we believe you,” One Place executive director Rebecca McWilliams said.
According to One Place, Jefferson County responds to 12,000-14,000 domestic violence calls a year. The organization says that number is only reflective of Birmingham, Hoover and the areas the Sheriff’s office responds to.
“The statistics that we’re seeing in Jefferson County are really startling, and they indicate that we are in a public health crisis when it comes to domestic violence,” McWilliams said.
In August alone, One Place says Birmingham Police responded to 275 domestic violence calls, with 23 of those calls being for strangulation. One Place says people strangled by a partner are 750% more likely to be killed by that person.
"They want you to know how much control and power they have over you. Like, you literally, my life is in your hands and I’m going to show you this," McWilliams said. "If someone is willing to go to that length, then they’re ultimately willing and completely capable of killing them too.”
Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson says the pandemic seemed to worsen the domestic violence problem within the county.
"We are addressing this as a serious problem in our communities,” Tyson said.
Tyson says mental health case workers are available in the county to work with survivors of domestic violence.
"We are with the [YWCA] and Tina Thorn too, we are out here now to address a lot of the major problems that we have had since the domestic violence rate is going out the roof,” Tyson said.
One Place says research from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office shows over the last three years, around 70% of people who commit a homicide have a history of domestic violence.