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69 victims die from domestic violence
Posted: 10.30.2012 at 10:20 PM
Jessica Fairley

Jessica Fairley is a reporter with FOX 31 News

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Albany business displays purple ribbons for domestic violence.  / Jessica Fairley
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ALBANY, GA. --

Wednesday is the last day of the Purple Ribbon campaign. It's an awareness movement to shed light on domestic violence.

This year, in the state of Georgia, 69 people lost their lives because of domestic violence.

Although there have been no homicides related to domestic violence in Albany this year, advocates say there are recent cases that come to mind.

“Several years ago we actually had about eight all within a three month period and it was a very hard time for lots of us,” says Silke Deeley, Liberty House Executive Director.

From September of 2011 to September of 2012 the Albany Police Department responded to more than 1200 domestic violence cases. 167 of those were in last month alone.

Silke Deeley with Liberty House says they get at least 20 calls a day.

“We're doing protective order on a daily basis. We do at least one a day, if not more. Sometime's we've done as many as three and four in a day,” says Deeley.

The Liberty House works with the Dougherty County Sheriff's Department to take victims to a safe place, and not a week goes by that law enforcement officials don't work a case.

“We normally work usually two or three and sometimes more than that. Sometimes we have to pick them up from the bus station when they come from another location,” says Capt. Craig Dodd, with the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Department.

While there are clear cases of domestic violence, officials say they often meet people who don't realize they’re in a troubled relationship.

“When someone tells you what to do, how to do it and does not allow you the freedom within that relationship to do the things that you want to do, then that's domestic violence,” says Silke Deeley.

As the city prepares to close out Domestic Violence Awareness Month by taking down the purple ribbons, advocates stress that the fight won't end in November.

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