By admin 
The names of 30 women and 10 men killed in South Carolina domestic violence incidents were called Tuesday at the 29th annual Silent Witness ceremony on State House grounds.
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As he has in past years, state Attorney General Alan Wilson led the commemoration, calling out the names.
“Each name we read today represents a life taken, a family grieving, and a community forever changed,” said Wilson.
“We honor these victims by remembering them and continuing our work to support survivors, hold abusers accountable, and strengthen South Carolina’s response to domestic violence.”
Friends and family members carried life-sized wooden silhouettes for each victim.
The oldest was Catherine Jones, 84, of Greenville County. The youngest was Crislyn McFarlan, 23, of Florence County.
An attorney general’s report said that although South Carolina’s rate of women killed by men has declined overall since its peak in 1998, it remained above the national average in 2024.
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Nine out of ten women are killed by men they know, and almost two-thirds die by gunfire,” according to the report.
Leaders participating in the event were Rabbi Alicia Rothamel of Beth Shalom Synagogue, Columbia poem reader Ellen Hamilton of the Pee Dee Coalition against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, and Rev. Ellis White of Wesley United Methodist Church. Members of the Columbia College choir sang and Sgt. James Ryan of the Charleston police department played “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes.
Besides Wilson, the main speaker was Sierra Locklear, a domestic violence survivor.
Survivors must be supported “at every step of their journey,” Wilson told the crowd.
“I hate it, I hate the fact that we are here today, but I love the fact that we are here together as a community,” Wilson said. “Please know that you are not alone.”
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