WISCONSIN — A total of 85 people in Wisconsin lost their lives to domestic violence last year, according to a new report by End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin.

While it’s a drop from the 2022 report, where there were 96 deaths, it’s still the second highest total of deaths since the organization began releasing reports in 2000. 

What You Need To Know

  • A new report shows that 85 people in Wisconsin lost their lives to domestic violence last year

  • While it’s a drop from the 2022 report, where there were 96 deaths, it’s still the second highest total of deaths since the organization began releasing reports in 2000

  • Many domestic violence programs are facing cuts as federal funding decreases

  • Domestic violence deaths took places in 22 of 72 counties in the state in 2023

The report comes as programs and survivors are bumping up against federal funding cuts. Funding typically comes from the federal Victims of Crime Act. It’s then distributed to domestic violence offices in each state.

Several efforts have popped up to try to stop funding from impacting service, including 2023 Wisconsin Act 241, which designates $10 million for crime victim grants.

“Still, these funds are not enough to address the devastating cuts service providers face,” according to the report.

“Programs serving victims and survivors across Wisconsin are scrambling to navigate a devastating 70% drop in federal funding that we all have known was coming. These are agencies offering lifesaving measures to those facing violence – shelter, advocacy, legal assistance, economic supports, housing, culturally specific services, and prevention. They’re being forced to cut staff, reduce availability and services, and in some cases, close their doors entirely,” said End Abuse Executive Director Monique Minkens in a release.

In 2023, domestic violence homicides took place in 22 counties of Wisconsin’s 72, with Milwaukee having the highest (28 deaths). Slightly more of the homicides occurred in urban areas (58%) than rural areas (42%).

Leaders of the organization said patterns in early reports continued in 2023. Majority — 77.7% — of the perpetrators were male in 2023. A large portion also had a relationship with the victim; 16 of the homicide victims in 2023 were current or former girlfriends of the male perpetrator.

This aligns with national data. A 2019 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime found that 58% of women who were killed 2017 were killed by an intimate partner or family member.

Firearms also remain to be the most common means of homicide, with weapons being used in 78% of cases last year. Stabbing was the second highest method.

Many of the deaths took place in a residence, such as an apartment or condominium.

Wisconsin victims in 2023 were mainly Black and white. Twenty-eight of last year’s victims were Black, another 28 white, three Latinx, one unknown and one Asian.

“Wisconsin is among the worst states in the country for victims of domestic violence,” said Minkens in a release. “We’re seeing a public health crisis, with 1 in every 6 domestic violence homicides occurring in our state. Recent studies have shown that Black women in the U.S. are disproportionately murdered compared with white women, with the highest inequity in Wisconsin. The answer has been and remains simple, year after violent year. Wisconsin is failing domestic violence victims. Show care for survivors by sufficiently resourcing those supporting their needs, or lives will continue to be lost to predictable, preventable violence year after year after year.”

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 for free, 24/7 support. You can also find a list of domestic violence victim services, here and here.

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