Baltimore leaders take aim at curbing violence against women

BALTIMORE - The Baltimore City leaders are focusing on ways to curb violence against women citywide.

The Baltimore City Council Health, Environment, and Technology Committee held its fifth meeting on the topic to enhance current strategies and help more women.

"The statistics for violence against women represent a broader public health crisis," said Baltimore Councilwoman Danielle McCray, chairwoman of the subcommittee and representative of District 2.

The Baltimore City Council began its initiative to cut down on violence against women in 2020 when 49 women and girls were killed, which was the most ever in one year in the city.

While most violent crimes against women are down, there is a spike in female victims of robberies and carjackings.

New approach

Baltimore City Police say it is working on a new approach to supporting victims.

The agency is also expanding the special victim's unit to include a division for crimes of violence against women. It also says it is increasing its community policing.

"We realize there is a level of triage and personalized service for everyone," said Baltimore Deputy Commissioner Kevin Jones.

The response focuses on prevention, intervention and victim support services.

Teen education programs

The health department says it is targeting teen education programs to help young people develop critical skills, including conflict resolution, bystander intervention, identifying emotions and communication with others.

"The good thing about the evidence-based program that we are implementing is that it is designed to address both victimization and perpetration," said Aisha Burgess, the Director of the Office of Youth and Trauma Services. "We do work with individuals who are actually committing these acts and develop strategies around conflict management."

Disproportionate impact on Black female victims

There is a disproportionate impact on Black female victims in underserved communities. Several agencies agreed they need to work on a tailored approach for these women.

McCray remains hopeful.

"The change is happening; the numbers are drastically down from where they were. I'm very optimistic about our agencies working together collaboratively to continue to bring those numbers down," McCray said.

City officials say it needs to double down on prevention efforts citywide and create a boots-on-the-ground effort to curb these trends.