Economy to blame for upsurge in crime against women, children

It’s the stupid economy.
Apparently the dour economy is to blame for the revolting headlines inviting readers to delve into the details of men killing babies, beating and raping women and murdering their families.
David Braughton, chief executive officer of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, says rape, child abuse and domestic violence in Tampa Bay has shot up as the economy has taken a downturn.
And he believes there is a direct correlation between crimes against women and children and financial woes.
He said child abuse, rape and domestic violence is most often committed by men who feel inadequate and need to be in charge. It’s a panacea against feelings of helplessness and frustration.
Upon losing his job and the ability to control his financial security, an already-mentally unstable man may seek other ways to regain a sense of control including attacking those who are less powerful.
With Tampa Bay’s unemployment rate reaching 11.1 percent last month, Braughton’s theory explains a lot of the insanity we’ve seen in recent months including the horrific May 3 shootings of a Lakeland mother and her two children by her husband followed two days later by the death of an infant thrown from a car window along Interstate 75 in Tampa.
Braughton said rape is one of the most underreported crimes in the county. Eighty percent of the time, it’s committed by someone the victim knows, and she’s too ashamed to report it.
Despite rape victims’ reluctance to report the crime, the crisis center has experienced a 10 percent increase in the number of calls for sexual assault exams over the past year.
“We’re now seeing a victim a day,” said Braughton. “It’s all about power and control, people venting their frustrations on others. As unemployment and other stresses go up, we see more victims.”
Last year his office did a record 340 sexual assault exams, prompting the nonprofit to add a full-time rape advocate.
“The demands for our services are skyrocketing,” he said. “Calls to our 24-hour 2-1-1 crisis hotline have gone up 50 percent and requests for financial help have more than doubled. We’re admitting 20 to 30 new cases each month to our specialized counseling program for sexually abused children.”
While we focus on the homeless, the hungry and the unemployed, these faceless women and children may very well be the most tragic victims of the recession.