WASHINGTON — Violent murders have increased in the D.C. region over the past year and research shows violence tends only to increase over the holiday season.

In D.C. alone, 13 people have been killed so far in 2011, up from 12 total last year, says Karma Cottman, executive director with the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Mix in the stresses that accompany the holidays, and remaining months of the year become particularly precarious for those victimized by domestic abuse.

“Unfortunately there isn’t one indicator,” Cottman says. “Certainly we know the economy has an effect on violence in general, and domestic violence especially. But there has been a rise in domestic violence in the city while we have seen an increased attention paid onto intervention efforts.”

Cottman says the group most likely to be affected by such abuse are young women, ages 16 through 24. However, all women of all ages and races can be affected. In fact, research shows that one-fourth of all women will be affected by domestic abuse at one point in their lives, which means there may be approximately 75,000 female victims in D.C. alone.

“It’s important for us to be educated about domestic violence and about the signs,” Cottman says. “And particularly as we get into the holidays, one of the things that happens for victims of domestic violence is they become increasingly isolated.”

When it comes to recognizing the pattern in young women, Cottman says one common indicator is cell phone use.

“One of the things that people don’t think about is when you have a teenager and they’re always on that cell phone, always checking it, always answering it. If the phone is two feet away, they’re checking to see if the person is calling them. That is definitely a warning sign,” she says.

The most important thing in curbing the problem is awareness, Cottman says. If you think someone you know might be suffering abuse, talk to them about it and let them know that there are resources available.

“For a lot of us, its just a regular girlfriend conversation. Just say ‘Hey, I noticed something was going on, if you need a friend if you want to talk, let me know. I’m available. I’m here,'” Cottman says. “Or, maybe just let them know you saw an interesting article and let them know about it. It’s dropping certain hints.

“Especially with victims of domestic violence, there is a shame and guilt. You want to be in a position of not-judging that person.”

Cottman says you can help even if the person affected is not a personal friend.

“We see domestic violence on a day-to-day basis on the street. We see someone saying something inappropriate, we see someone doing something inappropriate, and we think ‘That’s just between those two people.’ We tend not to step in. But it’s important that when you see anything that looks like its out of place that you call 911, or that you say something.”

For more information, visit the The DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

This information was first reported by The Examiner.

WTOP’s Kristi King contributed to this report.

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