The facts

WHAT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?
Domestic Violence occurs within intimate and familial relationships in which one person uses a pattern of abuse and power to hurt and keep control over another person. Domestic violence often involves examples of the following different types of abuse:

Physical Abuse: Hurting another person physically by employing such methods as kicking, punching, grabbing, pushing, or throwing objects at another person.

Psychological/Emotional Abuse: Hurting another person psychologically/emotionally through name-calling, using insults to put another person down, playing mind-games, and using threats and intimidation.

Sexual Abuse: Abusing a person through such methods as unwanted touching, forced sexual contact, refusing to use protection, and rape.

Financial Abuse: Using money and financial goods to keep control over another person through methods such as refusing to let another person work, getting a person fired by their place of employment, controlling how money is spent, and refusing to allow a person to hold property (for example a house or car) in his/her name.

Just as there are many different types of abuse that can occur in a violent relationship, there are also different types of relationships in which you will see violence.  The following four are the most common:

Child Abuse:  The repeated hurt and abuse caused when parents or guardians exploit their power and employ abusive methods to hurt and control children under their care.

Intimate Partner Violence: Abuse occurring when a person in a relationship uses power to keep control over and hurt the other person.  Intimate Partner Violence can affect couples of any sexual orientation, including those who define themselves as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender.

Elder Abuse: Abuse caused to the elderly by their caretakers (paid professionals or family members).  Because members of the senior community may be dependent on others for their daily needs due to health and financial matters, they may be exploited and abused by others.

Teen Dating Violence: Abuse occurring in teen relationships when one person uses power to keep control over and hurt the other person.  Teen dating violence can affect couples of any sexual orientation, including those who define themselves as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.

COMMON STATISTICS
Below are some common facts that will share with you the enormity of the scope, magnitude, and impact that domestic violence has on individuals and society. 

Intimate Partner Violence

1. Studies show that 1 in every 3 women living in the U.S. have been or will be affected by domestic or sexual violence sometime in their lives.
2. Every day, on average, 3 women are murdered by their partners in the U.S.
3. 1 in 5 women report being raped in their lifetime.

Children and Domestic Violence

1. Men who  grew up in violent homes are more than twice as likely to be abusive in their own adult relationships
2. Children living in violent homes have a higher chance of developing behavioral problems, including depression, anxiety, violence towards others, and post-traumatic stress disorder
3. 40-60% of families with intimate partner violence also report child abuse.

(Information from the Child Witness to Violence Project, www.childwitnesstoviolence.org)

Teen Dating Violence

1. 40% of girls ages 14-17 know of a peer who has been physically or sexually abused in a relationship (www.loveisnotabuse.com)
2. 80% of teen girls continue to stay in a relationship after the abuse (www.acadv.org)
3. 38% of rape victims are young women 14-17 years old (www.acadv.org)

Domestic Violence and the National Economy

1. In the U.S., healthcare costs associated with domestic violence total $5.8 billion annually.
2. Loss of job productivity due to domestic violence costs $727.8 million every year.

Domestic Violence and the International Landscape

1. 40-70% of female homicides worldwide are committed by intimate partners.
2. Emerging studies show a strong relationship between domestic violence and the spread of HIV in developing nations.
3. Worldwide, 1 out of every 3 women has been physically or sexually abused.

Information taken from The Family Violence Prevention Fund, www.endabuse.org , unless otherwise noted.)