Survivor: There is Life After Ending that Type of Relationship.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — In the fall of 2011, Karen Petit was faced with a question that changed her life forever, following an argument with her then husband.

“The argument escalated and he grabbed a gun and he asked me, “Do you want me gone?,” says Karen Petit, domestic violence survivor. 

Karen says she knew the answer to that question could’ve meant the difference in the two of them living. 

“I just simply said, “I want you to get help,” says Petit

In the days following she took steps to leave the marriage but, she says, it wasn’t easy. 

“In the interim between the separation and the divorce, he would follow me, stalking, harassment, calling me 15-20 minutes a day,” says Petit

While she says her situation involved more emotional abuse, it was still hard and she eventually had to file for a permanent restraining order. 

Looking at the statistics, Karen is one of the lucky ones. 

According to a new report by the Violence Policy Center, in 2011 67 women in South Carolina were killed at the hands of a man, putting South Carolina #1 in the nation for women killed by men.

The top 10 according to the Violence Policy Center: 

1          South Carolina        2.54 per 100,000           

2          Alaska                    2.01 per 100,000                    

3          Oklahoma               1.99 per 100,000              

4          Delaware                 1.92 per 100,000          

5          Arizona                    1.84 per 100,000              

6          Tennessee               1.80 per 100,000           

7          Idaho                      1.77 per 100,000             

8          West Virginia            1.70 per 100,000             

9          Louisiana                 1.67 per 100,000

10        New Mexico               1.62 per 100,000              

The fact that South Carolina ranks at the top of list, isn’t making anyone proud. 

“We were very sad to learn we were ranked number one again,” says Colleen Bozard, Interim Director of the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

Bozard says, the numbers demand change.

“A state as whole, our typical response is, “Why doesn’t she leave?” And instead, we need to be asking, “Why is he hurting her?,” says Bozard

As for Karen Petit, life is much different these days, she’s now divorced and is an accomplished author of children’s mysteries. 

Today, she has one message for other women that are walking in the shoes she once filled, get help.

For more on how you can get help, visit www.sccadvasa.org