State legislators are attempting to curb Louisiana’s domestic violence problem with a new package of legislation to be presented in the current legislative session.
Rep. Helena Moreno and Sen. J.P. Morrell are introducing various anti-domestic violence bills that could increase jail time for offenders and allow a victim of domestic abuse to be granted an immediate divorce, as opposed to waiting 180 days under Louisiana’s current laws.
Louisiana ranks second in the nation for homicides related to domestic abuse, according to the IRIS Domestic Violence Center of Baton Rouge.
Moreno’s and Morrell’s legislation was endorsed earlier this month by the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (LCADV), a statewide coalition of shelters, non-residential programs and individuals working to combat domestic violence in Louisiana.
Beth Meeks, executive director of the LCADV, spoke out against Louisiana’s domestic violence problem in a news release.
“If a virus was killing people in Louisiana at a rate twice as high as the rest of the nation, we’d declare a public health emergency,” Meeks said. “Every leader would be working around the clock to stop it. Why don’t we have that sense of urgency about the murders of our mothers and wives?”
LSU Police Department spokesman Capt. Cory Lalonde said domestic violence on campus is an issue his office takes seriously.
“We do deal with it from time to time. More attention is being brought to it,” Lalonde said.
Seirra Fowler, health promotion coordinator at the Student Health Center, said the University is not alone in the issues it faces concerning domestic abuse.
“I think interpersonal violence is a problem on every college campus,” Fowler said.
Fowler is the co-coordinator of the University’s Lighthouse Program, which provides aid to student victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, relationship violence and stalking.
“I think interpersonal violence is a problem on every college campus.”