Domestic violence on the rise in Minn.

The number of women killed by their husbands has increased this year.

Victims' advocates told Fox 9 they have seen a slight increase in the number of deaths related to domestic violence. So far this year, 19 women have died at the hands' of an abuser, compared to 16 women in all of 2010.

The current number of deaths is about have of the peak the state reached in 2000.

Data taken from Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women [PDF]

In an article last February about Anoka Count's high rate of domestic violence that resulted in murder, the Star Tribune sought to examine the underlying causes of the abuse.

"It's a great social science question," said Paul Young, chief of the county attorney's violent crime division. "Based on our economics, based on our social histories, whatever, there's something about the message about how to act appropriately in your domestic relationships that for whatever reasons isn't as effective as it is in other places."

Cottage Grove City Council member Jen Peterson recently wrote that reducing incidents of domestic violence is a community effort:

There are many things that others can do to help with the issue of domestic violence. First and foremost, call 911 if you witness somebody being abused. If you suspect that somebody you know is in a violent relationship, ask them if they are safe, listen to them, be non-judgmental, encourage them to seek help through domestic violence programs where they can set up a safety plan, offer to babysit if they need to go to court, offer to help them move out of an unsafe place, to name just a few. It's also really important to talk to teens about what is appropriate and healthy behavior in a dating relationship.

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