Domestic Violence

The argument allegedly began over a bottle of bath soap and ended with Elaine Rigas’s then-husband lunging at her throat. As she held their 1-year-old son in a bathtub, Rigas said, she feared that the man would strangle her to death.

Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser implemented a policy to protect city employees who are victims or survivors of domestic abuse, stalking and sexual assault. It took effect on Jan. 1.

The link between domestic violence and homelessness among women has long been established. In the nation’s capital, more than half of homeless women interviewed in a recent study said they had experienced domestic violence.