Editorial: Understanding intimate partner violence is team effort

Hate crimes are different from other crimes because they have an impact more broad than on just the intended victim. They are a form of terrorism that is hard to address with other anti-criminal actions. That is why the U.S. Department of Justice addresses them.

But while hate-motivated attacks are all too common — something the Pittsburgh area understands too well after the antisemitic shooting in Squirrel Hill in 2018 — there is an even more ubiquitous form of violence that has things in common with hate crimes.

Domestic violence is abuse that happens within a home relationship. It can involve children or the elderly, but intimate partner can be its most insidious aspect. Intimate partner violence is specifically between spouses or other partners, and it is different because it is one of those crimes that makes the victim feel at fault, which keeps them in danger.

Women who are murdered are six times more likely to be killed by a family member or intimate partner than by a stranger, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice statistics. Men are three times more likely to be killed by a stranger than a woman is.

Like hate crimes, intimate partner violence is something everyone knows happens but can be hard to track down. Where hate crimes hide in dark corners of the internet or private groups, these family-unit crimes are shrouded by things such as economic need and mental illness.

But with so much of this happening behind closed doors, how does law enforcement stop it?

Allegheny County is addressing it with a new Intimate Partner Violence Reform Leadership Team, bringing together law enforcement, prosecutors, human service providers and the courts.

“This is about, ‘how do we work better together,’ ” said Michelle Gibb, executive director of the Alle-Kiski Hope Center. “When the systems are disjointed, they’re not accessible for victims.”

But perhaps as important as how the systems interact is having a better understanding of how and why a victim might not access them.

It is a kind of abuse that is all about control, which can be physical, sexual or psychological. It can be as subtle as a tight smile in public that lets the victim know there will be hell to pay at home or as explosive as a fist in the eye or as final as a gunshot.

It can be a hostage situation that goes on for years as one partner — more often a woman but not always — is chained to the relationship because of threats, fear for children, isolation or lack of funds. All of these can be reasons that someone won’t report violence, will actively cover it up when needing medical attention or will decline to press charges when authorities do get involved.

This isn’t new information. Police have known for years that arresting someone one night for beating a spouse could lead to dropped charges the next day when the victim won’t cooperate.

But more and better communication and cooperation between the various agencies involved can only lead to better addressing the issues. Not all crimes are created equal, and understanding the unique challenges of intimate partner abuse seems key to both stopping and preventing it.