Protecting Women From Domestic Violence

South Carolina has ranked among the ten worst states for women murdered by men in 23 of 25 years studied — and was ranked number one in the nation four times.

 National Domestic Violence Hotline 

1-800-799-7233

THIS MUST END.

In 2023, 51 South Carolina women were killed by men. In more than 95 percent of those cases, the woman knew her killer. South Carolina's rate of women killed by men — 1.8 per 100,000 — remained well above the national average. And over the quarter-century the data was tracked (1996–2020), South Carolina ranked among the ten deadliest states for women 23 times, holding the worst spot in the nation four times.

These are not random acts of violence. In case after case there was a prior history — prior 911 calls, prior incidents, prior charges that were plea-bargained away or dropped. The system saw these women before they died. Too often, it failed them.

Domestic violence is still treated as a lesser offense in too many places across this state — a "family matter," a "he-said-she-said," a case treated as easier to dismiss than to prosecute. The result is a death toll that has kept South Carolina near the top of the nation's worst rankings for a generation.

The failure is not the law. South Carolina strengthened its domestic-violence laws in 2015. The failure is the will to use them.

SOLUTIONS FOR YOU: 

1. Expand the Attorney General's Violence Against Women prosecution unit — and use the office's authority to take on domestic-violence cases, including tough cases and those referred by or beyond the capacity of local solicitors.

2.  The Attorney General’s FY2025 strategic plan included:

“Secure Funding for a VAWA Program Coordinator for Prevention Education” with a target of $100,000 for salary and benefits for a staff position focused on prevention of Violence Against Women Act crimes. The report shows the actual result as 0%!! 

I will secure the funding for the position!

3. Provide training, resources, and model practices to prosecutors statewide so domestic-violence cases are built and won, not pleaded away — and promote lethality-assessment protocols that flag the most dangerous offenders before they kill.

4. Use the office's voice and data to hold the system accountable — publicly tracking how domestic-violence cases are charged and resolved across the state.

5. Partner with SCCADVASA and stakeholders to build an early-intervention system that catches these cases before they become homicides, and champion stronger enforcement in the legislature.

I WILL FIGHT FOR THESE WOMEN.

Sources: Violence Policy Center, "When Men Murder Women" (2023 data, published 2025; and 25-year review, 1996–2020); SC Attorney General, Violence Against Women section (scag.gov); SCCADVASA