What is Intimate Partner Homicide?

What is Intimate Partner Homicide and Why does it Matter?

Intimate partner homicide takes the lives of 3 women each day in the United States. That's nearly 2000 women every year and that number doesn't include the children and others who are killed in the process.

Intimate partner homicide, like the crimes of domestic violence, stalking, and rape, is a crime of power and control. It happens across all educational, income, and social status levels and religions. It happens to stay at home moms, nurses, social workers, business executives, and political figures.

The Legal Definition of Intimate Partner Homicide:

the killing of a spouse, ex-spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend

My Definition of Intimate Partner Homicide:

the murder of someone by a current or past romantic partner, someone who wanted to be a romantic partner, or that of someone that they knew or were in close proximity of.

Intimate Partner Homicide (IPH) doesn't just effect those whose' lives are taken either. The effects ripple outward - to the children left to be raised as orphans - to those who loved them - to the communities who also feel their tragic loss. And one day the children who have endured such trauma become adults and have children of their own. In some families, the murder is generational. For many others, the pain and trauma ripples outward.

This is not a family issue to be handled behind closed doors. It's all of our problem. IPH is preventable - when women know the warning signs and can act on them, they can find safety for themselves and their loved ones. That's what we're trying to do here.