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Trump and allies prepare to take power after a decisive win over Harris; Advocates continue to fight for Medicaid expansion despite election setback; Some Louisiana residents eligible for broader health coverage; MA educators, parents celebrate the end of MCAS graduation requirement.

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Harris concedes, but promises to 'fight on' in a speech at Howard University. Republicans celebrate a potential red sweep, though a House majority is still uncertain. And a statehood mandate gains support on Puerto Rico.

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Abortion care can be five minutes away in California or 11 hours for women in Texas, rural living proves a mixed blessing for veterans, an ancient technique could curtail climate-change wildfires, and escape divisive politics on World Kindness Day.

IN domestic violence rates remain at troubling levels

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Monday, October 16, 2023   

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The most recent study from the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence cites a 181% increase in domestic-violence homicides between 2020 and mid-2021 in Indiana.

And 911 call centers reported high call rates in ZIP Codes that were disproportionally affected by the pandemic. The coalition's Homicide Reduction Strategies Coordinator Caryn Burton said these rates can be difficult to track.

"We know that domestic violence is underreported," said Burton. "We know that survivors do not always report what is happening in their home or within their relationship - whether it is to healthcare providers, whether it's to law enforcement, whether it's to family and friends."

She said domestic violence is the second-most underreported crime in the United States, behind only sexual assault.

The National Domestic Violence hotline number is 800-799-7233.

Between July 2022 and June of this year, the coalition reports 78 confirmed homicides resulting from domestic violence in Indiana.

A person threatened by domestic violence can get a restraining or protective order - a court ruling that requires an abuser to stay away - although too often, the abuser ignores it.

For years, court advocates were present to explain what survivors could expect when seeking a restraining order. Burton said the group that provided these advocates in the Marion County court system stopped in 2021.

"When a survivor maybe doesn't receive some safety planning assistance with that protective order, they may remain vulnerable to that escalation of violence," said Burton, "because they haven't really gone through that entire process of understanding, 'Okay, now I've got the protective order, but what does that mean for me?'"

According to this year's Domestic Violence by State report on the website 'wisevoter.com,' almost 43% of women in Indiana experience some form of domestic violence - ranking the state fifth in the nation for domestic violence incidents.



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