Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence is a Serious, Widespread Social Problem in America: The Facts

Prevalence of Domestic Violence

Estimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence against a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend per year to three million women who are physically abused by their husband or boyfriend per year.
Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime.
Nearly one-third of American women (31 percent) report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives, according to a 1998 Commonwealth Fund survey.
Nearly 25 percent of American women report being raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, cohabiting partner, or date at some time in their lifetime, according to the National Violence Against Women Survey, conducted from November 1995 to May 1996.
Thirty percent of Americans say they know a woman who has been physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year.
Intimate partner violence is primarily a crime against women. In 1999, women accounted for 85 percent of the victims of intimate partner violence (671,110 total) and men accounted for 15 percent of the victims (120,100 total).
While women are less likely than men to be victims of violent crimes overall, women are five to eight times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner. From 1993 to 1998, victimization by an intimate accounted for 22 percent of the violence experienced by females. It accounted for three percent of the violent crime sustained by males.
Women of all races are about equally vulnerable to violence by an intimate.
Male violence against women does much more damage than female violence against men; women are much more likely to be injured than men.
The most rapid growth in domestic relations caseloads is occurring in domestic violence filings. Between 1993 and 1995, 18 of 32 states with three year filing figures reported an increase of 20 percent or more.
Women are seven to 14 times more likely than men to report suffering severe physical assaults from an intimate partner.

Domestic Homicides

On average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in this country every day. In 1999, 1, 642 murders were attributed to intimates; 74 percent of the murder victims (1,218 total) were women.
Male murder victims are substantially less likely than female murder victims to be killed by an intimate partner. In 1999, intimate partner homicides accounted for 32 percent of the murders of women and approximately four percent of the murders of men.

Health Issues

About half of all female victims of intimate violence report an injury of some type, and about 20 percent of them seek medical assistance.
Thirty-seven percent of women who sought treatment in emergency rooms for violence-related injuries in 1994 were injured by a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend.

Domestic Violence and Youth

Approximately one in five female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner.
Eight percent of high school age girls said “yes” when asked if “a boyfriend or date has ever forced sex against your will.”
Forty percent of girls age 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend.
During the 1996-1997 school year, there were an estimated 4,000 incidents of rape or other types of sexual assault in public schools across the country.

Domestic Violence and Children

In a national survey of more than 6,000 American families, 50 percent of the men who frequently assaulted their wives also frequently abused their children.
Slightly more than half of female victims of intimate violence live in households with children under age 12.

Rape

Three in four women (76 percent) who reported they had been raped and/or physically assaulted since age 18 said that a current or former husband, cohabiting partner, or date committed the assault.²⁴
One in five (21 percent) women reported she had been raped or physically or sexually assaulted in her lifetime.
Nearly one-fifth of women (18 percent) reported experiencing a completed or attempted rape at some time in their lives; one in 33 men (three percent) reported experiencing a completed or attempted rape at some time in their lives.

Stalking

Seventy-eight percent of stalking victims are women. Women are significantly more likely than men (60 percent and 30 percent, respectively) to be stalked by intimate partners.
Eighty percent of women who are stalked by former husbands are physically assaulted by that partner and 30 percent are sexually assaulted by that partner.

Battering is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence. Battering happens when one person believes they are entitled to control another. Assault, battering and domestic violence are crimes.

Definitions: Abuse of family members can take many forms. Battering may include emotional abuse, economic abuse, sexual abuse, using children, threats, using male privilege, intimidation, isolation, and a variety of other behaviors used to maintain fear, intimidation and power. In all cultures, the perpetrators are most commonly the men of the family. Women are most commonly the victims of violence. Elder and child abuse are also prevalent. Acts of domestic violence generally fall into one or more of the following categories:

Battering escalates. It often begins with behaviors like threats, name calling, violence in her presence (such as punching a fist through a wall), and/or damage to objects or pets. It may escalate to restraining, pushing, slapping, and/or pinching. The battering may include punching, kicking, biting, sexual assault, tripping, throwing. Finally, it may become life-threatening with serious behaviors such as choking, breaking bones, or the use of weapons.

How Can I Help Someone? A Friend or Family Member — who I suspect is being abused?

Your support and encouragement can be of tremendous value to a friend involved in an abusive relationship. You can ease the isolation and loss of control by listening, providing information and helping your friend to explore options.

Gather all the information you can about domestic violence. Contact programs and services in your area that assist victims of intimate partner violence and their children. These programs provide options for safety, advocacy, support and other needed information and services.

Sometimes your own feelings about the abuse may make it difficult for you to confront the situation. Contact your local domestic violence hotline or program and talk with and advocate about your concerns. These programs can be an excellent source of support both for you and your friend.

Letting your friend know you care and are willing to listen may be the best help you can offer. Don’t force this issue. Keep your mind open and really listen to what is being said. Never blame the victim for what is happening or underestimate the victims’ fear of potential danger. Never repeat what has been told to you to the abuser, unless given permission.

Focus on supporting your friend or family member’s right to make his or her own choices.

When asked for advice on what to do, share the information you have gathered. Let her know she is not alone and there are caring people available. Be aware that not all helping professionals are fully aware of the complex dynamics of intimate partner abuse. If the person is not helpful the victim should be encouraged to find assistance elsewhere.

People living in abusive relationships can suffer from both emotional and physical abuse. Give your friend the emotional support needed to know they are a good person. Emphasize their strengths and skills and that everyone deserves to live a life that is free from violence.

Encourage your friend to develop a plan to protect herself and her children. Help her think through the steps she should take if your partner becomes abusive again. Make a list of people she can call in an emergency and places she can go.

Suggest that she put together and hide a suitcase of clothing, personal items, money, identification cards, social security cards, birth certifications, bank records and other important documents.

If your friend decides to leave a domestic violence shelter may be an option and a safe place to go. However, not all communities have shelters or safe homes. Contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline to find out where the nearest shelter is located.

Be very careful when offering and providing safety in your home. The most dangerous time for a victim of domestic violence is when a person is leaving an abusive relationship. Know that violence can continue when a person leaves. Be discreet and talk to domestic violence programs staff about the best way to handle this.

It cannot be overemphasized that domestic violence can result in serious physical injury or even death. If you are a neighbor or otherwise know that a battering incident is occurring, call the police immediately. Calling the police does not always mean that an abuse will be put in jail.