Domestic violence is not a private family matter. It is a public health crisis. Every day, women are injured, terrorized, and killed by people they once loved and trusted. Home should be the safest place a woman can be—yet for far too many, it is the most dangerous.

This week in Orange County, Florida, a tragedy unfolded that should shake every one of us to our core. According to investigators, a mother escaped from a domestic violence situation, but her two young children—a one-year-old and a two-year-old—were unable to escape. Authorities say their father shot and killed them before taking his own life. Reports indicate that a court hearing related to the case had taken place just one day before the shooting. (WESH⁠)

I have one question for everyone in society reading this when the mother ran for her life and her abuser ran after her. Are you trying to tell me that there was not one neighbor who would pick up those two small children and take them into their home and call the police.?

Are we as society that afraid to be involved that we cannot see or seem to do the right thing? I mean you figure if the woman ran for her life and was able to get away and some neighbor would’ve snatched up those children walked their doors closed their windows and called 911. Maybe those two children would be living today now I’m not blaming innocent by standards because it is the fault of the abuser.

However, we are human beings how do you stand and allow two small babies to just stand outside they were both under three years old. I personally find the troubling.

Would you not want someone to take your child in and call the police keeping them safe as you run for your life?

As a society, we often react with grief after these horrific events, but grief alone is not enough. We must also ask difficult questions. How many warning signs were missed? How many cries for help went unheard? How many times was an alleged abuser given another chance while a mother lived in fear and children remained at risk?

Domestic violence is not merely a private family matter. It is a public safety issue. When credible threats, patterns of abuse, and repeated warning signs exist, courts and the justice system have a responsibility to take those dangers seriously. Too often, victims are told to trust the process, only to discover that the process failed them when it mattered most.

The heartbreaking reality is that these two innocent children will never grow up. They will never celebrate another birthday, start school, or experience the countless milestones that every child deserves. Their lives were stolen, and a mother is now left carrying a pain no parent should ever have to endure.

This is not about politics. It is not about ideology. It is about accountability. It is about recognizing that women and children deserve protection before tragedy strikes—not after.

Every time a domestic violence case enters a courtroom, lives may be hanging in the balance. Judges, prosecutors, attorneys, and lawmakers must remember that their decisions affect real families, real children, and real futures. The cost of getting it wrong can be devastating.

My heart breaks for this mother. My prayers are with her, her family, and everyone who loved these precious children. But prayers should not be the end of the conversation. We must demand better. We must demand that warning signs be taken seriously. We must demand that victims be protected. And we must demand a justice system that places the safety of women and children above convenience, delay, or complacency.

Because when warning signs are ignored and tragedy follows, we are left asking the same painful question once again:

How many more women and children must be let down before meaningful change occurs?

STATS

Domestic violence is not a modern problem. Historical records show that abuse within families has existed for more than 4,000 years. What has changed is society’s willingness to recognize it as a crime rather than a private family matter. Despite legal reforms and increased awareness, domestic violence continues to affect millions of women, men, and children worldwide. Today, the challenge is not whether we know it exists—but whether we are willing to do enough to stop it.

Domestic Violence & Femicide Statistics (U.S.)

These statistics can help illustrate why domestic violence remains a critical issue:

• More than 1 in 3 women in the United States have experienced physical violence, sexual violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime.  
• 1 in 4 women have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner.  
• Domestic violence affects over 10 million people each year in the United States.  
• In 2021, 34% of all female murder victims in the U.S. were killed by a current or former intimate partner.  
• Approximately 76% of intimate partner homicide victims are women.  
• Nearly 75% of domestic violence murder victims are female.  
• The presence of a firearm in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by about 500%.  
• Nearly 7 out of 10 intimate partner homicides are committed with a firearm.  
• An average of more than 70 women each month are shot and killed by an intimate partner in the United States.  
• Among female homicide victims, more than half knew their killer, and many were killed by a current or former partner.  

Global Statistics

• In 2023, approximately 51,100 women and girls worldwide were killed by an intimate partner or family member.  
• That equals roughly 140 women and girls every day.  

References in

Here are the direct links corresponding to the statistics I listed:

• CDC Intimate Partner Violence: https://www.cdc.gov/intimate-partner-violence/about/index.html
• National Domestic Violence Hotline Statistics: https://www.thehotline.org/stakeholders/domestic-violence-statistics/
• NCADV Statistics: https://ncadv.org/statistics
• Bureau of Justice Statistics (Female Murder Victims and Victim-Offender Relationship): https://bjs.ojp.gov/female-murder-victims-and-victim-offender-relationship-2021
• FBI Domestic Violence Special Report: https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/fbi-releases-domestic-violence-special-report
• Everytown Research (Guns and Violence Against Women): https://everytownresearch.org/report/guns-and-violence-against-women/
• NNEDV Domestic Violence Counts Report: https://nnedv.org/content/domestic-violence-counts-19th-annual-report/
• CDC NISVS Reports: https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/documentation/index.html
• AP News (UN femicide report): https://apnews.com/article/c2f26290b8158e1d97b1b16ef76e85a8
• UN Women Femicide Data: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2024/11/femicide-the-most-extreme-form-of-violence-against-women-and-girls