State Senator Raymond Lesniak recently amended his bill to create a Study Commission on Violence in New Jersey. Specifically, Lesniak worked with colleagues to revise the proposed focus of the Commission to include domestic violence. The hope is that the Commission will help to identify causes of domestic violence in the state and will develop concrete strategies to stop it.

Overall, the bill would declare violence to be a public health crisis in New Jersey, which would allow the state to seek funds for mitigation efforts from federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With domestic violence set as one of the Commission’s focus areas, Lesniak expects on the subject to play an active role in setting new policies.

Unfortunately, domestic violence is a serious problem in New Jersey. In 2011 alone, there were 70,311 reported cases of domestic violence in the state, according to statistics from the New Jersey State Police. Many instances of domestic violence go unreported, however, so the real number is likely to be much, much higher.

One problem in dealing with domestic violence cases and being able to get a true sense of the magnitude of the problem is that many victims feel stigmatized and are reluctant to come forward. By addressing the problem as a health crisis, the hope is that more people will be willing to come forward and get the help they need. Though it is still unclear whether Lesniak’s bill will become law, it marks a good first step in addressing the occurrence of domestic violence.

Source: NJ Today, “Domestic Violence Prevention Added To Mission Of Study Commission,” June 18, 2013