Domestic violence victims' rights group Stop Abusive and Violent Environment (SAVE) has asked Attorney General Eric Holder to retract a recent domestic violence-related claim he made which the group said were misleading.

At a recent Domestic Violence Awareness Month event, the Attorney General reportedly is reported to have stated, "Intimate partner homicide is the leading cause of death for African-American women ages 15 to 45."

The statement invited a bit of lash back when a USA Today article by Dr. Christina Hoff Sommers, an educator and author, pointed out that the leading causes of death for African American women ages 15 to 45 are cancer, heart disease, accidents, and HIV. The statistics were taken from the Centers for Disease Control. Hoff Sommers recently held a press conference in which she examined Holder's claim and dispelled other domestic violence misconceptions.

A spokesman from SAVE said the statement is at best a misleading claim which could result in policies that make programs fighting abuse ineffective and place victims' lives at risk, particularly in cases of mandatory arrest.

In an effort to improve intimate partner abuse laws at the state level, SAVE recently established the Domestic Violence Legislative Project. The group will initially begin working to reduce false allegations of domestic violence, which constitute an estimated 60% of domestic violence allegations. False allegations are seen as a large barrier to improving response to victims, as they detract from services and protections for true victims and hurt their credibility before judges.

SAVE is also advising the Attorney General to establish a task force to review and correct any misleading or incorrect information related to domestic violence appearing on the Department of Justice website.

Source: Examiner, "AG Holder blasted for repeating domestic violence myth," Jim Koui, 25 Feb 2011.