KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Advocates and criminal justice leaders say domestic violence cases are on the rise, outpacing statistics from this time a year ago. They say it comes after federal cuts to funds that support programming for those escaping violence.
“Just over one year ago, we gathered for a press conference in this very room to discuss funding cuts and legislative shifts that we knew would hurt our communities. We predicted a rise in violence because we know that violence increases when political, vitriol and economic uncertainty rise,” YWCA Kalamazoo CEO Susan Rosas said.
At a Tuesday news conference, the group said that 20 Kalamazoo survivors reported being strangled by their intimate partner in the first quarter of 2025. That number sits at 62 so far this year. Bronson’s emergency department has seen a 167% increase in strangulations treated when comparing 2024 to 2025 data, she said.
“Strangulation is the greatest predictor we have of homicide in the domestic violence realm. If your partner has strangled you in the past, your risk of being killed by them is 10 times higher,” Rosas said.
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