LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada has some of the highest domestic violence rates in the country and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Sadly, a number of those cases end in death.
In recent months, 33-year-old Renise Wolfe was allegedly shot in the head by her boyfriend. One month later, in January, police said Selene Perez’s body was found in her boyfriend’s car.
Liz Ortenburger, the CEO of domestic abuse treatment centers like SafeNest, said domestic violence is the number one cause of homicide for women in Nevada.
“We’re the second highest rate of domestic violence with 43.5% of women being affected in our community. My staff responds to about 25 to 30 domestic violence 911 calls with Metro Police each week,” Ortenburger added.
The numbers could be even higher. Ortenburger said some women are afraid to report violence for fear they might be arrested.
“A large number of undocumented women are one of our marginalized populations who are the most at risk for being victims of abuse,” she said.
SafeNest is getting help from the state, and possibly soon from the county which will vote on its March 4 agenda, to add a new campus adjacent to its existing property. (The county is taking public comments on One Safe Place at this email: CRMinfo@clarkcountynv.gov).
It will be called, One Safe Place. It will offer resources and a medical clinic to survivors.
Dr. Sid Khurana with Nevada Mental Health said he is seeing an increase in people who are struggling with violence involving their partners and their children.
He said that it’s the intergenerational trauma of children who were subjected to their parents fighting, who then tend to be the ones to repeat the cycle with their partners.
“Stress is a real thing, economic stress, social political stress, intolerance in general that is brewing in society. All those factors contribute to an increased prevalence,” he said.
The SafeNest Domestic Violence Hotline is (702) 646-4981. A list of resources and services can be found at this link.
