COLUMBIA, South Carolina — A new study from economists at the University of South Carolina says the annual economic cost from domestic violence was $358.4 million in 2020. It's a new insight into the impact of the crime throughout the state.
The study was conducted by Dr. Joseph C. Von Nessen, a part of the Darla Moore School of Business at USC. The substantial cost of domestic violence comes from entities such as health care, law enforcement, courts, businesses, shelters, and more, according to the study's authors.
At a news conference Tuesday the the South Carolina State House, Dr. Nessen shared findings from the study that approximately 82,379 South Carolinians will be victims of intimate partner violence every year. He also stated that the Palmetto State ranks eleventh in the nation in the rate of women being murdered by men.
"There is a need for domestic violence prevention and assistance in every county in South Carolina," Dr. Nessen said at the press conference. "It is important to recognize that this is a statewide phenomenon, and its a statewide problem."
The host of the conference was the Jamie Kimble Foundation for Courage. Its founders are Ron and Jan Kimble, who lost their 31-year-old daughter, Jamie, in 2012 after she was shot and killed by an ex-boyfriend.
“How many more South Carolinians need to suffer at the hands of an intimate partner for us to do more?” said Ron Kimble, “The prevention of the next victim is our foremost priority."
The foundation is said to be calling on officials, employers, schools, and many other people and businesses to bring awareness and education to domestic violence in efforts to curb it.
“The mission of the Jamie Kimble Foundation for Courage is to stop domestic violence and dating violence before it begins,” Jan Kimble said. “By working with our youth and young adults while simultaneously assisting current victims, we can and will reduce the spread of this menace in our society.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that one in four women and one in seven men will experience severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.