KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Domestic violence impacts one in three women and one in four men.
New Kansas Bureau of Investigation numbers for domestic violence in 2021 show the increase is slow, yet steady. And between 2020 and 2021, there's not much of a difference.
The report is organized by agency, taking a look at the numbers for the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department. In 2020, there were 1,215 incidents with 622 arrests, while in 2021, there were 1,411 incidents with 719 arrests.
"The stress of not having enough money, the cost of common goods like groceries, gas increasing creates stress on families," said Courtney Thomas, president and CEO of Newhouse.
Newhouse in Kansas City, Missouri, is a domestic violence center that offers support to those who go through any sexual or domestic abuse, including children.
Thomas is a childhood abuse survivor herself.
"As a child, I have very vivid memories of the blue lights flashing, police being at our house, and the fights and bodies hitting the wall," Thomas said.
While some are disheartened by increasing numbers, at the same time, more calls mean more people are gaining the courage to speak up.
"It means that people are hearing our message because it means that people are letting go of their shame," Thomas said. "People are letting go with the feeling that they‘ve done something that they deserve this and are reaching out for help."
Often, Thomas says she sees women coming in and out of shelters, going back to abusers. But her hope is to eradicate domestic violence altogether, especially through speaking up to spark change.
"That rewind and repeat model isn't working," Thomas said. "If it was working, we wouldn’t see numbers increasing at the volumes that we have seen them increase over the last 40 years."
