I’m a survivor, and that word carries more than people see on the surface. Behind it is pain, fear, disrespect, and the kind of suffering that can follow someone long after the moment itself is over. When I say break the cycle, I mean it. Too many survivors are left carrying the weight of what happened while trying to survive systems that are underfunded, overwhelmed, or simply not there when we need them most.

💜 PROTECT SURVIVORS BEFORE THEY BECOME STATISTICS

Demand Comprehensive Domestic Violence Reform in South Carolina

To the South Carolina General Assembly, Governor, House and Senate Judiciary Committees, and State Law Enforcement Leadership:

How many more lives must be lost before South Carolina takes meaningful action to protect victims of domestic violence?

How many more survivors must stand before a judge, begging to be believed? How many more children must grow up afraid of a parent who has demonstrated a pattern of violence? How many more families must bury someone they love before we recognize that our laws are failing to adequately protect those at risk?

South Carolina has introduced legislation addressing some of the most dangerous gaps in domestic violence protections.

The problem is not simply that we do not know what needs to change. It is that too many necessary protections have yet to become law.

We, the undersigned survivors, families, advocates, and concerned citizens, call upon South Carolina legislators to prioritize comprehensive domestic violence reform by advancing existing legislation and introducing additional measures to address the dangerous gaps that remain.

This is not a partisan issue. Domestic violence does not discriminate by political affiliation, income, race, gender, or geographic location.

The right to live without violence should never depend on whom you married, whether you shared an address, which county you live in, or whether your abuser has already seriously injured someone.

OUR DEMANDS FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION

1. Pass Existing Legislation Addressing Domestic Violence and Coercive Control

We demand immediate legislative consideration of bills already introduced to strengthen protections for victims, including legislation addressing:

-Criminal coercive control and psychological abuse.
-Expanded protection for current and former dating partners.
-Electronic monitoring and victim notification.
-Persistent domestic violence offenders.
-Non-fatal strangulation and aggravated strangulation.
-Access to protective orders for victims and minors.

Legislators must hold hearings, advance these measures through committee, reconcile overlapping proposals, and bring effective legislation forward for recorded votes.

These bills deserve action, not another legislative session of delay.

2. Require Mandatory, Statewide Lethality Risk Assessments

South Carolina must establish a uniform, evidence-based lethality risk assessment protocol for domestic violence calls and investigations.

We demand:

-Mandatory initial and continuing training for all relevant law enforcement personnel, including municipal police departments, county sheriff’s offices, and other agencies responding to domestic violence incidents.
-A standardized, validated assessment that identifies warning signs associated with potentially lethal violence.
-Required assessments in qualifying domestic violence investigations, particularly those involving threats to kill, strangulation, stalking, escalating violence, weapons, coercive control, or repeated incidents.
-Mandatory documentation of findings and secure retention of assessment records.
-Clear procedures for notifying victims of identified risks and connecting them with safety planning and advocacy resources.
-Required communication of documented high-risk indicators to prosecutors and courts when legally appropriate.
-State funding, implementation deadlines, compliance reporting, and oversight to ensure consistent enforcement.

A survivor’s safety should not depend on which officer responds, which department employs that officer, or whether a particular county has voluntarily adopted a risk assessment program.

Recognizing the warning signs of lethal violence must become a statewide standard, not an optional practice.

3. Extend Domestic Violence Protections to All Intimate Partners

South Carolina’s laws must protect victims regardless of marital status, shared residence, or whether the parties have children together.

We demand that protections explicitly include:

-Current and former dating partners.
Individuals who have never lived together.
-Individuals who have never married.
-Individuals who do not share children.
-Victims of intimate partner violence regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

These protections must apply consistently to domestic violence statutes, eligibility for protective orders, coercive control provisions, and other relevant victim protections.

A person should not have to marry, live with, or have a child with their abuser before the law recognizes the danger.

4. Establish Non-Fatal Strangulation as a Separate Felony Offense

Non-fatal strangulation is a serious form of violence that can cause devastating injuries even when there are no visible marks.

We demand a standalone felony offense for intentional non-fatal strangulation, with enhanced penalties for repeat offenses, violations of protective orders, or other aggravating circumstances.

The law must recognize that:

-Serious internal injuries can occur without visible bruising.
-A victim should not have to prove permanent injury to establish the offense.
-Strangulation must be properly documented and investigated.
-Law enforcement, prosecutors, and healthcare professionals must receive specialized training on its medical and evidentiary significance.

We should not wait until strangulation becomes homicide before treating it with the seriousness it deserves.

5. Strengthen Bond Laws for Repeat and High-Risk Violent Offenders

We demand stronger statutory protections to prevent repeat and high-risk domestic violence offenders from being released without adequate consideration of their demonstrated danger.

Legislators must establish a presumption against pretrial release for narrowly defined repeat or high-risk violent offenders, subject to an individualized judicial hearing and constitutional due process.

Bond determinations must consider:

-Prior domestic violence convictions and documented violent incidents.
-Previous strangulation, threats to kill, stalking, and weapon-related offenses.
-Existing protective orders and documented violations.
-Escalating patterns of violence.
Validated lethality risk assessment findings.
-Risks to children, family members, witnesses, and other identifiable individuals.

Where release is legally permitted, courts must have enforceable options for GPS monitoring, exclusion zones, victim notification, firearm restrictions consistent with law, and immediate responses to violations.

A violent offender’s history should never be overlooked simply because incidents occurred in different jurisdictions or involved different victims.

6. Establish a Secure Statewide Domestic Violence Information System

We demand a centralized, secure statewide information system accessible to authorized law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges.

This system should provide timely access to legally relevant information, including:

-Prior arrests, charges, convictions, and case dispositions.
-Protective orders and documented violations.
-Bond conditions and violations.
-Documented threats, strangulation incidents, and stalking allegations.
-Lethality risk assessment findings and relevant prior incidents.
-Relevant information from different counties and municipalities.

The system must include safeguards protecting victims’ confidential information, distinguish allegations from convictions, ensure accuracy, and provide appropriate access controls and audit trails.

Judges and prosecutors should not have to make critical decisions without access to legally available information that could reveal a dangerous pattern of violence.

Violence does not stop at county lines. Neither should the information needed to prevent it.

7. Require Accountability, Funding, and Statewide Enforcement

Passing legislation means little without the resources and accountability necessary to enforce it.

We demand dedicated funding for training, risk assessment implementation, victim advocacy, electronic monitoring, secure information sharing, and independent oversight.

We also call for annual public reporting on implementation, compliance, and outcomes, without compromising survivor privacy.

WHY THIS MATTERS

For too many survivors, leaving an abusive relationship does not end the danger.

The aftermath can mean years of fear, financial hardship, custody disputes, court hearings, legal expenses, and uncertainty about whether the person who threatened or harmed them will be released.

Survivors are often expected to document every threat, navigate complicated legal systems, protect their children, and repeatedly explain why they are afraid.

Meanwhile, dangerous patterns can remain fragmented across police departments, prosecutors’ offices, and court systems.

We cannot continue placing the burden of preventing violence almost entirely on the people trying to survive it.

South Carolina has an opportunity to establish a more coordinated, proactive approach that identifies danger earlier, improves accountability, and protects victims before violence escalates.

OUR CALL TO ACTION

We call upon the South Carolina House of Representatives, Senate, Governor, and relevant state agencies to:

-Advance and vote on existing domestic violence protection bills.
-Introduce and enact legislation closing the remaining gaps.
-Establish mandatory statewide lethality risk assessments and training.
-Strengthen pretrial release protections for repeat and high-risk violent offenders.
-Create secure statewide information sharing across law enforcement and the judicial system.
-Provide funding, measurable implementation deadlines, and accountability.

We are not asking for promises. We are demanding legislative action.

Every signature on this petition represents a person who believes that preventing domestic violence must be a priority in South Carolina.

💜 Some will sign because they survived.

💜 Some will sign because they love someone who survived.

💜 And some will sign in memory of someone who never had the opportunity.

We cannot bring back those whose lives have been taken.

But we can honor them by demanding that our lawmakers use the knowledge, resources, and legislative authority available to prevent future tragedies.

Protect survivors before they become statistics.

Pass the bills. Close the gaps. Train our officers. Inform our courts. Protect our families.

💜 Sign this petition. Share it. Contact your legislators. Demand action.

Because the next victim should not have to become another name read at a memorial before South Carolina decides to act.