In the past three years, 49 Kentuckians have been killed by their husbands, boyfriends or former mates — victims of the ultimate form of domestic violence, according to a state advocacy group and news accounts.
Yet only seven of those victims had domestic-violence orders from the courts to protect themselves from their alleged abusers, according to a Courier-Journal review.
Advocates say there are a variety of reasons that battered women don't seek protective orders, including embarrassment and fear — and the perception that they don't work.
