Oklahoma is ranked No. 1 in the nation. Unfortunately, when it comes to domestic violence, it’s for all the wrong reasons.

That’s why the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) advocates have reached out to Sequoyah County Commissioners to declare October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the county.

It’s an awareness campaign in which advocates and commissioners have partnered in past years, but, according to VOCA-funded advocate Sarah Ridinger, results are not encouraging.

“Unfortunately, the problem has gotten worse,” Ridinger told the commissioners last Monday at their weekly meeting. “Oklahoma is now ranked No. 1 in domestic violence in the country, and homicides related to domestic violence in Oklahoma have spiked by 16% in the last two years.

“While we are working in this county, we have several resources in this county to address that issue. But across the state, that is not the case. We know that over half of all women in the state will be victims of domestic violence in their lifetimes, and just under half of all men in the state,” said Ridinger, who was recognized in 2024 as VOCA’s Advocate of the Year.

“We’re everyday in the trenches working on it. So I would ask for a call to action from everybody to talk to the people you know and love about domestic violence and where you stand on it, especially your children. We want to shelter our kids from this kind of thing, especially if this is not something they see in their household, but we’re not preparing them for the world that we’re sending them out into in our state where it is incredibly prevalent.”

The annual monthlong awareness emphasis is designed to increase education about the problem, and to improve the state’s standing in preventing domestic violence.

Cindy Smith, an investigator for the Special Victims Crime Unit of the Sequoyah County Sheriff ’s Office, has previously lauded the county commissioners and Sheriff Larry Lane’s office for recognizing the need for increased awareness, and for making domestic violence education a priority.