Domestic violence is the leading cause of murders of women in New York City—in 2012, 2 out of every 3 female homicides resulted from an instance of domestic abuse.

Yet we often turn a blind eye to the violence next door, and rarely discuss this life-or-death issue with friends and loved ones. But domestic abuse is not a private matter; it’s a crime, and we must start making it our business. To truly combat the rising numbers of women murdered as a result of domestic violence, we call on the community—from the criminal justice system to social service providers to the general public—to work together and coordinate our efforts against this threat.

Read about the concrete steps URI proposes here in the Daily News.