Georgia ranks sixth highest for the rate of women killed by men

By Michelle Wirth

Atlanta, GA – According to a new study, Georgia has the sixth-highest rate of women killed by men in the nation. Local anti-domestic violence advocates says the state's ranking highlights the need for action. The study was released by the Washington-based Violence Policy Center.

According to the report, Georgia's homicide rate of women killed by men was 1.80 per 100,000 in 2009. Nicole Lesser is Executive Director of the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

"I'm very saddened by it, but Georgia has generally ranked somewhere between 7th and 15th over the last many years they've been doing the study, so unfortunately it's not very surprising."

However Lesser says, the ranking should serve as a wake-up call for everyone in the state...especially judges, lawmakers and police.

"When people come forward and ask for a protective order, it's very important that judges listen to them, and we also know that guns are often not removed from batterers who are convicted, so we need to make sure that the guns are being taken away."

She also says there should be more funding devoted to domestic violence shelters in the state.