KANSAS CITY, Mo. — So far in 2024, there have been more than 26,000 incidents of domestic violence in Missouri, according to data from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
As Domestic Violence Awareness Month comes to an end, one Kansas City survivor is keeping the conversation going.
Caroline Markel has been fighting for justice since 2016.
"Oftentimes, nothing is done," Markel said. "[My former partner] belonged to a group that taught other men how to drug, rape, market and then clean up all the evidence after the rapes occurred. He allowed that to happen to me. He had been marketing me since about eight weeks into our relationship."
Markel said this happened for the entire eight-year relationship. Her former partner has not been arrested.
"There is no accountability," she said. "When I went to the police, I showed them everything I had. They deemed me not a viable witness because I had no memory of the rapes. That's because without my knowledge and without my consent, he had been drugging me."
But Markel turned her pain into action and started a nonprofit to prevent domestic and sexual violence.
"I thought, if I don't start taking action when every single entity I went to was supposed to help and didn't, then I'm going to lose my mind," Markel said. "That's when Safe in Harms Way was born."
Her organization, Safe in Harms Way, provides steps to safety for those experiencing abuse and provides immediate resources people can use before contacting authorities or outside agencies.
"This is happening very often across the country and it is so steeped in silence and shame, and it's unrecognizable because people aren't going to think it's happening to them," Markel said. "They're just going to think something is wrong with their body."
Markel explained Safe in Harms Way has helped nearly 126,000 survivors with resources or justice. It's now a partner resource with domestic violence shelters in 13 states.
"It's an amazing opportunity to create change, and I never would have imagined this possibility existed back when I was writing my name on a post-it note, trying to get help," Markel said.
Sharing her story is a critical part of her fight for change. Markel speaks at prevention and advocacy events nationwide and is releasing a book Friday, "Agents of Social Change."
But her own fight for justice continues.
"The thing that makes me compelled to continue with Safe in Harms Way is all the people that group in Kansas City could have hurt and all the people he could have harmed," Markel said. "That's what keeps me going because if I live in the rage of not having any consequence for me, I am no good to the people I love and the people who love me."
If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence, you can find resources in Missouri here and resources in Kansas City here.
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KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne covers issues surrounding government accountability and solutions. Share your story with Isabella.
