Houston women need more protection
In February, Houston will claim the great honor of hosting Super Bowl LI. Houston will spend and make millions. A Super Bowl committee of community leaders, a website and a calendar of events for families all will celebrate the distinction. Fans from across the nation will flood into Houston to take part in the festivities, and some will easily and effortlessly spend upward of $6,000 per person for three-day destination packages to attend the game. Meanwhile, Houston has received another distinction, one to be ashamed of — it’s one of the most unsafe cities for women in the United States.
According to a recent Houston Chronicle article (“Four Texas towns rank among the 10 unsafest cities for women in America,” chron.com, Sept. 19), Houston ranks next to last as the nation’s unsafe cities for women, securing spot 260 of 261. Houston/ Harris County also has the “honor” in the state of Texas,of having the highest number of women murdered by their intimate partners. This number has risen from 23 women killed in 2014, to 34 women killed in 2015. This makes 2015 the highest number ever. Is there a city website to inform, educate and raise awareness of increasing safety for women in Houston? Based on this new “honor,” did Houston develop a committee made up of community leaders to address domestic violence and safety for women? Did Houston develop activities for raising awareness and increasing safety?
Houston must address the issue of being unsafe for women by dedicating more resources, time and energy to increasing access to services and safety. Houston’s police force remains stagnant as the population — and the homicide rate — grows. The Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council facilitates a process to review the deaths of victims of intimate partner violence and determine how those deaths may have been prevented. The Houston Police Department is a strong partner in this effort. With the help of Houston Area Women’s Center, HPD has committed to training all officers about the effects of trauma to increase access to services and safety for domestic violence victims. These are excellent steps in the right direction. But is this enough? Without collaborative, intentional and targeted efforts to decrease domestic violence and address women’s safety, it is difficult to implement and sustain programs that address the need.
Houston/Harris County also has the “honor” in the state of Texas of having the highest number of women murdered by their intimate partners.
Annually, Harris County sees more than 35,000 calls to law enforcement, more than 80,000 calls to domestic violence hotlines, and more than 5,500 victims (two-thirds of those children) are provided with emergency shelter. At the same time, local domestic violence organizations struggle to meet the high demand with limited budgets. Turn-away rates because of a lack of emergency shelter bed space often reach a rate of 30 percent of people who are turned away or diverted. Houston seems to being doing a good job of focusing on promoting the Super Bowl, while there is insufficient attention or focus on addressing how Houston is unsafe for women — this includes addressing domestic violence.
Houston could dedicate more resources to finding ways to educate the public about domestic violence. It could work to increase access to services, support the advocacy organizations that provide the services, and develop a committee of leaders across sectors to strategize ways to increase awareness. Ultimately, Houston could declare itself a city that collectively takes a stand to prevent domestic violence. Houston is proud to unify in celebrating the Super Bowl. How about uniting to celebrate becoming the Safest City for Women? This is an honor that lasts more than just a day.