DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STATISTICS

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STATISTICS
• A woman is beaten every 15 seconds.
(Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1991)
• The American Medical Association now estimates that almost 4 million women are
victims of severe assaults by boyfriends and husbands each year and about one in four
women is likely to be abused by a partner in her lifetime.
(Sarah Glazer, “Violence Against Women”, CQ Researcher, Congressional Quarterly,
Inc., Vol. 3 No.8, February 1993, p. 171)
• Each day, more than three women in the United States are murdered by a male intimate
partner.
(United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Violence by Intimates, 2000)
• Women are more often victims of domestic violence than victims of burglary,
mugging, or other physical crimes combined.
(“First Comprehensive National Health Survey of American Women,” Commonwealth Fund, July
1993)
• In 1992, a congressional report indicated that the most dangerous place in the United
States for a woman to be is in her home. Former Surgeon General Antonia Novello has
labeled domestic violence an epidemic.
(Linda Ammons, Discretionary Justice: A Legal and Policy Analysis of Data on Crimes by
Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriends, and Girlfriends, March 1998)
• 28% of all annual violence against women is perpetuated by intimates. 5% of all
annual violence against men is perpetuated by intimates.
(Tjaden, P. & Thoennes, N.(July 2000). Extent, nature, and consequences of intimate
Partner violence findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. (Publication
#NCJ181867). National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Washington, DC:Office of Justice Programs)
• 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.
(Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1992-1996, and FBI
Supplementary Homicide Reports, 1992-1996, reported to the U.S. Department of Justice,
Violence by Intimates: Analysis of Data on Crimes by Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriends,
and Girlfriends, March 1998)
• Thirty percent of Americans say they know a woman who has been physically
abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year.
(Domestic Violence Advertising Campaign Tracking Survey (Wave IV) conducted of
Advertising Council and the Family Violence Prevention Fund. 1996)
• Twenty-three percent of women experiencing severe violence in the past year had
thought about taking their own life, compared to 4% of other women.
(Intimate Violence and Black Women’s Health, The National Black Women’s Project)
• More than twice as many women were killed by their husbands, ex-husbands, or
boyfriends as are murdered by strangers.
(Arthur Kellerman, “Men, Women and Murder,” The Journal of Trauma, July 17, 1992,
pp. 1-5)
• Seventy-eight percent of stalking victims are women. Women are significantly more
likely than men are (60% and 30% respectively) to be staked by intimate partners.
(Center for Policy Research, Stalking in America, July 1997)
ABUSE IN LATER LIFE
• The U.S. Administration on Aging reports that there are 43 million Americans over the
age of 60, and 3 million who are 85 or older. Due to improved health and standards of
living, it is predicted that by the year 2030, more than 85 million Americans will be over
60 and more than 8 million will be over the age of 85.
(Administration on Aging. The Administration on Aging and the Older Americans Act. 2001)
• Experts suggest that domestic elder abuse is perhaps the most underreported crime.
Older adults may be especially reluctant to report abuse because they are ashamed to
admit that their spouse or children have mistreated them, fear retaliation, or dread being
institutionalized if they are removed from the care of the abuser. In addition, cognitive
and physical impairments may make it impossible for some elderly individuals to report
their abuse.
(Payne, B.K. Crime and Elder Abuse: An Integrated Perspective, Springfield, IL:
Charles C. Thomas, 2000)
• In 1999, 470,702 cases of abuse and neglect were reported to adult protective services
throughout the United States. This is a 62% increase since 1996.
(National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life, 2001)
• A study of 257 older women ages 50-79 found that 32% had experienced physical
violence in their relationship within the past year.
(Mouton, 1999)
• In almost ninety-percent of the elder abuse and neglect incidents with a known
perpetrator, the perpetrator is a family member, and two-thirds of the perpetrators are
adult children or spouses.
(National Center on Elder Abuse. (1998). National elder abuse incidence survey:
Executive summary. (Publication #ISBN 0-9100106-63-0). Washington, DC.)
BATTERERS
• Batters are not out of control. Indeed they choose the victim, time place, violent tactic
and severity of assault when committing domestic violence. The batterer assumes that he
is entitled to control his partner; he is moral person, even if he uses violence against his
partner; he will get what he wants through use of violence and he will not suffer adverse,
physical, legal, economic, or personal consequences that outweigh the benefits achieved
by the violence.
(“Women and Violence,” Hearings before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, August 29 and
December 11, 1990, Senate Hearing 101-939,pt.2p.140)
• Batters come from al socioeconomic backgrounds, races, religions and occupations.
While there is no typical batterer, some common behaviors do exists. Most minimize the
seriousness of the violence or blame it on the victim’s provocations, alcohol, drugs, or
stress. Traditional views of sex roles and parenting as well as negative attitudes towards
women in general are common. Battering is the extreme expression of the belief in male
dominance over women.
(Howard Holtz and Kathleen Furmiss, “The Health Care Providers Role in Domestic
Violence,” Trends in Health Care, Law & Ethics, Vol. 8, No. 2, Spring 1993, p. 50)
• Short-term (6-12) weeks psycho-educational batterer intervention programs helped
some batterers stop immediate physical violence, but were inadequate in stopping abuse
over time. Some batterers became more sophisticated in their psychological abuse and
intimidation after attending such programs.
(Violence and the Family: Report of the American Psychological Association
Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family p.85, 1996)
• Approximately one-third of the men counseled for battering (at Emerge) are
professional men who are well respected in their jobs and their communities. These have
included doctors, psychologists, lawyers, ministers, and businesses executives.
(For Shelter and Beyond, Massachusetts Coalition of Battered Women Service Groups, Boston,
MA 1990)
CHILDREN’S ISSUES
• 40-60% of men who abuse women also abuse their children.
(American Psychology Association. Violence and the Family: Report of the American
Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family. 1996)
• 63% of all males between ages 11 and 20 who are serving time for homicide in the U.S.
Are incarcerated because they killed their mothers’ abusers.
(Sarah M. Buel, “The Dynamics of Domestic Violence Cases in the United States of America: An
Overview” in Defending Battered Women in Criminal Cases, American Bar Association, Section
of Criminal Justice, 1992)
• 3 million American children are exposed to domestic violence in their homes each
year.
(American Psychology Association, Violence in the Family: Report of the American
Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence in the Family, 1996)
• When women are murdered by their husbands, children are present in 25% of cases.
(Crawford & Gardner, 1992)
• Children exposed to wife abuse suffer low self esteem, depression, poor health, sleep
difficulties, post traumatic stress disorder, poor impulse control, and are at higher risk for
problems in school, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual acting out, running away, isolation,
loneliness, fear and suicide.
(Peter Jaffe, Davis Wolfe & Susan Kaye Wilson, Children of Battered Women, Sage
Publications, 1990)
• Children who witness domestic violence were found to show more anxiety, depression,
traumatic symptoms, and temperamental problems than other children.
(Schecter and Edleson, Domestic Violence and Children, Open Society Institute, Center on Crime,
Communities and Culture, 2000)
• More than 50% of child abductions result from domestic violence.
(Geoffrey Grief & Rebecca Hagar. “Abduction of Children By their Parents: A Survey of the
Problem. “ Social Work, 1991)
• Children from violent homes have higher risks of alcohol/drug abuse and juvenile
delinquency.
(Domestic Violence – A Guide For Health Care Professionals, State of New Jersey, Department of
Community Affairs, March 1990)
• Domestic violence is a major factor that contributes to the problem of teenage
runaways and homeless street youth.
(National Woman Abuse Prevention Project)
• Almost half of all battered women were sexually abused as children by male relatives.
(Zorza J. 1991. Women Battering: A Major Cause of Homelessness. Clearinghouse Review, 24,
421-424. In J.A. Drye (1998/1999). The Silent Victims of Domestic Violence: Children Forgotten
by the Judicial System. Gonzago Law Review, 34, (2), 230)
• Men who witness their father’s abuse their mothers were three times more likely to
abuse their wives than men who had not.
(Davidson, R. The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children: A Report to the President of the
American Bar Association, August 1994)
• Boys who witnessed domestic abuse were significantly more likely to approve of
violence than girls who had also witnessed it.
(Carlson B.E. 1990. Adolescent Observers of Martial Violence. Journal of Family
Violence.5. 285-299)
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR
• Domestic violence is statistically consistent across all racial and ethnic boundaries.
(Bureau of Justice Statistics Report: Violence Against Women: Estimates from the Redesigned
Survey (NCJ-154348), August 1995, p.3)
African American:
• Many African American women fear that if they report an abusive partner, he will be
treated more harshly because he is a man of color.
(Wilson, Dr. K. J. When Violence Begins at Home, Hunter House, Alameda, California, 1997)
• Many African American women have strong religious beliefs dating back to early
childhood and typically comprise about 70 percent of black congregations. Religious
beliefs or fear of rejection from the church may keep women in abusive relationships.
(Wilson, Dr. K.J. When Violence Begins at Home, Hunter House, Alameda, California, 1997)
• Black Women report higher rates of partner violence. Rates of severe partner violence
are higher for low-income Black women as compared to higher income Black women.
Black women who have unemployed husbands have particularly high rates of severe
violence.
(Intimate Violence and Black women’s Health, The National Black Women’s’ Health Project)
•An African American woman is more likely to feel protective of her batterer because of
discrimination and “hard times” he has faced, and obligated to support and assist him
emotionally to preserve some sense of family.
(Edward W. Gondolf, Assessing Women Battering in Mental Health Services, Sage Publication,
1998, National Network to End Domestic Violence Sheet on Meeting the Needs of Underserved
Communities)
Latina:
• Among undocumented Latina women, the rate of battering is estimated to be a high as
%34.
(AYUDA, Inc.)
• Battered Latina women in shelter are likely to have experienced a longer duration of
abuse, be married at a younger age, have larger families, and stay in relationships longer.
(Edward W. Gondolf et. Al, Racial Differences Among Shelter Residences: A Comparison of
Anglo, Black, and Hispanic Battered Women. Black Family Violence: Current Research and Theory (R.
Hampton ed., Sage Publications, 1991)
• There are not adequate culturally and linguistically competent prevention, intervention,
and treatment services that take into consideration the strong orientation toward family
and community that is predominant in the Latina/o culture.
(Wilson, Dr, K.J., When Violence Begins at Home, Hunter House, Alameda, California, 1997)
• Latinas are more concentrated in low-paying, semiskilled occupations than the overall
workforce. The money women need to move or to obtain a lawyer is not always
available. For Latinas who drop out of school, poor education and lack of skills make it
difficult to get better-paying jobs. Additionally, opportunities for job advancement are
not always comparable to those of white women because of racial discrimination.
(Wilson, Dr. K.J. When Violence Begins at Home, Hunter House, Alameda, California, 1997)
• From a domestic violence and migrant farm worker assessment that included 112
women, 1 in 3 (35%) reported being hit within the last year.
(Suffering in Silence, Domestic Violence and Migrant Women, Dr. Rachel Rodriquez, 1995)
• From a domestic violence and migrant farm worker survey that included 112 women,
on in five (21%) reported forced sexual contact within the last year.
(Suffering in Silence, Domestic Violence and Migrant Women, Dr. Rachel Rodriquez, 1995)
Native American/Alaska Natives (AIAN):
• Native American women’s sense of tribal sovereignty and loyalty may conflict with
making a police report about their husband who assaulted them.
(American Psychological Association, Violence and the Family Report of the American
Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family, 1996)
• The Staking rate is so high against Native American and Alaska Native women that
17% will be stalked during their lifetimes.
(Domestic Violence Report, March 1988, Sacred Circle, South Dakota)
• One possible explanation for high homicide rates among Native communities can be
attributed to distrust of the legal system. Although the community may view the
behavior of the batterer as undesirable, the decision to contact the external legal system
or to reveal details of intimate family life is often viewed as disloyal. Many Native
women have a high level of mistrust for white agencies and helpers. The lack of trust is
not difficult to understand given the historically oppressive way that white society has
treated Native Americans.
(Wilson, DR.K.J. When Violence Begins at Home, Hunter House, Alameda, California 1997)
• A recent study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice
entitled American Indians and Crime found that American Indians are the victims of
violent crimes at more than twice the rate of all U.S. residents.
(U.S. Department of Justice, “American Indians and Crimes”, February 1999)
Southeast Asian:
• Some Asian women fear that moving away from their abusive husbands will mean
losing their children or, at the least, stigmatizing their children. The Asian community
reinforces the belief that women must not leave their family and community.
(Wilson Dr. K.J. When Violence Begins at Home, Hunter House, Alameda, California, 1997)
• Asian women, especially Asian immigrant women, may be hesitant to disclose
battering or abuse because of their cultural views about privacy, perseverance, and self-
restraint or their fears about immigration status.
(Christine K. Hi, An Analysis of Domestic Violence in Asian American Communities: A
Multicultural Approach to Counseling. Diversity and Complexity in Feminist Therapy, Hayworth 1990)
• It may be difficult for battered immigrant women to speak out against abuse because
many cultures value family loyalty. Therefore, it may go against what battered
immigrant women consider important.
(Christine K. Ho, An Analysis of Domestic Violence in Asian American Communities: A
Multicultural Approach to Counseling. Diversity and Complexity in Feminist Therapy, Hayworth 1990)
DATING VIOLENCE
• Women ages 16-24 years old experience the highest per capita rate of intimate violence
in the U. S.
(National Institute of Justice, “Extent Nature and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence:
Findings From the National Violence Against Women Survey,” July, 2000)
• One in five high school girls has been physically or sexually abused by a dating
partner. These girls are at higher risk for substance abuse, suicide, risky sexual behavior,
pregnancy and suicide attempts.
(“Dating Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Associated Substance Use, Unhealthy Weight
Control, Sexual Risk Behavior, Pregnancy, and Suicidality,” Silverman, Jay G. Journal of the
American Medical Association, Vol. 286, No. 5)
• Eight percent of high school girls said “yes” when asked if “a boyfriend or date have
ever forced sexed against your will.”
(Commonwealth Fund survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls, November 1997)
• Approximately 1 out of every 3 high school and college students has experienced
sexual, physical, verbal, or emotional violence in dating relationships.
(Mitchell, Anita (1996). “Teen Dating Violence.” Protecting Sexually Active Youth, Vol. 4(1),
March, 1996)
• A study of over 1,000 high school students found that 45% of females, and 43% of
males reported being the recipient of violence from dating partners at least once.
(O’Keefe, M.; Trester, L. (1998). “Victims of Dating Violence Among High School Students.”
Violence Against Women, 4(2) ; 195-223)
• In a study of college student, 13.3 percent of 442 women reported having been force to
have sex in a dating situation.
(Johnson, Ida M.; Siegler, Robert T. (2000) “Forced Sexual Intercourse Among Intimates.
“Journal of Family Violence, 15 (1): 95-108
• Victims of dating violence report the abuse takes many forms: insults, humiliation,
monitoring the victims movements, isolation of the victim from family and friends,
suicide threats, threats to harm family or property, and physical or sexual abuse. Their
abusers also blamed them for the abuse, or used jealousy as an excuse.
(Brusin, S., Legal Response to Teen Dating Violence, Family Law Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 2,336
(Summer 1995) (citing Gamache, Domination and Control: The Social Context of Dating
Violence, in Dating Violence, Young Women in Danger, Levy,ed. 1991)
DISABILITY ISSUES
• 68 percent to 83 percent of women with developmental disabilities will be sexually
assaulted in their lifetime, which represents a 50 percent higher rate than the rest of the
population.
Pease, T. and Frantz, B. (1994). Your safety…your rights & personal safety and abuse prevention
education program to empower adults with disabilities and train service providers. Doylestown,
PA: Network of Victim Assistance)
• Women with disabilities and Deaf women are at least one-and-a-half to two times more
likely than non-disabled women to experienced abuse.
(Stimpson, L., and Best, E., Courage Above All: Sexual Assault and Women with Disabilities,
prepared for DisAbled Women’s Network (DAWN) Toronto, 1991)
• A crime may go unreported for many reasons: mobility or communication barriers, the
social or physical isolation of the victim, a victim’s normal feelings of shame and self-
blame, ignorance of the justice system, or the perpetrator is a family member or primary
caregiver.
(U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime Bulletin. (2001). Working with victims of
crimes with disabilities)
• Reporting agencies often fail to note that the victim had a disability, especially if the
crime is reported by someone other than the victim.
(U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime Bulletin. (2001). Working with victims of
crimes with disabilities)
• The Colorado Department of Health estimates that upward of 85 percent of women
with disabilities are victims of domestic abuse, in comparison with, on average, 25 to 50
percent of the general population.
Feuerstein, P. (June 1997). Domestic violence and women and children with disabilities.
Millbank Memorial Fund Report, unpublished.
ECONOMIC ISSUES AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
• Estimates put the direct medical cost of care for battered women at approximately 1.8
billion per year.
(The Journal of Family Practice, Vol. 48 No.6 (June) 1990 citing: Miller, TR, Cohen, MA,
Rossman, SB. Victims Cost of Violence, Crime and Resulting Injuries. Health Affairs.
1996:12:186)
• After an in depth analyses of over 33,000 medical records from South Eastern
Michigan hospitals, the Detroit News found that domestic violence cost the hospitals 7
million dollars in health care costs during 1998-1999.
(Detroit News: Special Report on Violence. Sunday, November 26, 2000. Http//:
detnews.com/specialreports/2000/violence.index.htm)
• When a battered woman leaves her abuser, there is a 50% chance that her standard of
living will drop below the poverty line.
(“Women and Violence,” Hearings before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, August 29 and
December 11, 1990, Senate Hearing 101-939, pt. 95)
• One-third of all police time is spent responding to domestic disturbance calls.
(“The Billion-Dollar Epidemic”, American Medical News, January 6, 1992)
• Eighty - three percent of very low-income mothers have been victims of severe
physical violence and/or sexual abuse during their lifetime.
(Angela Browne, Ph.D. & Shari Basuk, B.A., “Intimate Violence in the Lives of Homeless and
Poor Housed Women”, American Orthopsychiatric Association, Inc. 1997)
• 27% of battered women surveyed said they were prevented from having any access to
money by their abuser; 51% lacked access to charge accounts.
(Walker, 1994)
• The level of economic resources available to an abused woman is the best indicator of
whether or not she will permanently separate from her abuser.
(Horn, 1994)
• More than half of battered women surveyed stayed with their batterer because they did
not feel that they could support; themselves and their children.
(Sullivan, Cris, et al (1992) After the Crisis: A Needs Assessment of Women Leaving a Domestic
Violence Shelter, 7 Violence and Victims 267)
GUNS
• Having a gun in the home makes it three times more likely that you or someone you
care about will be murdered by a family member or intimate partner.
(Kellerman, A., Rivara, F., Rushforth, N., Banton, J., Reay, D., Francisco, J., Locci, A.,
Prodzinski, J., Hackman, B., and Somes, G. Gun ownership as a risk factor for homicide in the
home. The New England Journal of Medicine 329(15): 1084-1091, 1993)
• More than four times as many women were murdered with a gun by their husbands or
intimate acquaintances that were killed by strangers’ guns, knives, or other weapon
combined.
(Brock, K. When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 1997 Homicide Data: Females Murdered
by Males in Single Victim/Single Offender Incidents. Washington, D.C.: Violence Policy Center,
1999)
• Black and White females are equally as likely to be a victim of family and intimate
partner firearm homicide.
(Firearm Injury Center, “3rd Annual Statistical Report, 1999 Wisconsin Firearm Fatalities, “
1999)
• Possession of a gun by anyone convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense
is prohibited by federal law.
(Domestic Violence Offenders Gun Ban (1996), 18 U.S.C 922 (g)(9))
• Possession of a gun by anyone subject to a protection order is prohibited by federal
law.
Domestic Violence Offenders Gun Ban (1996), 18 U.S. C 922 (g)( Cool

)
HEALTH CARE ISSUES
Injuries and Other Health Consequences of Domestic Violence:
• In addition to injuries sustained during violent episodes, physical and psychological
abuse are linked to a number of adverse physical effects including arthritis, chronic neck
or back pain, migraine and other frequent headaches, stammering, problems seeing,
sexually transmitted infections, chronic pelvic pain, stomach ulcers, spastic colon, and
frequent indigestion, diarrhea, or constipation.
(Coker, A., Smith P., Betha, L., King, M., McKeown, R., “Physical Health Consequences of
Physical and Psychological Intimate Partner Violence, “Archive of Family Medicine, Vol. 9, May
2000)
• Slightly more than half of female victims of violence by an intimate partner are
physically injured in the attack; however, only four in tem of these women seek
professional medical treatment.
(Rennison, C.M., and S. Welchans. May 2000. Intimate Partner Violence. Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics)
• According to the American Medical Association, injuries sustained from domestic
violence account for 25-35% of visits by women to emergency rooms annually.
(Violence Against Women, Vol. 6, No. 5, p. 534, May 2000)
• Battering is the single most frequent reason why women seek attention at hospital
emergency departments and is the single major cause of injury to women, accounting for
25% of female suicide attempts and 4,000 homicides per year.
(Howard Holtz and Kathleen Furniss, “The Health Care Providers Role in Domestic Violence,
“Trends in Health Care, Law & Ethics, Vol. 8, No.2, Spring 1993, p.47.)
• Almost 4 years ago, the Surgeon General of the United States warned that violence was
the number one public health risk to adult women in the United States. Unfortunately, 4
years later, it still remains the leading cause of injuries to women ages 15-44, more
common than automobile accidents, mugging, and cancer deaths combined.
(Violence Against women, A Majority Staff Report, Committee on the Judiciary, United States
Senate, 102nd Congress, October 1992, p. 3.)
• In addition to being at increased risk for physical injury or death, victims of domestic
violence are also at risk for complications of pregnancy and childbirth, gynecologic
problems; sexually transmitted diseases and HIV; chronic somatic disorder; exacerbation
of chronic medical conditions; noncompliance with medical treatment; depression,
anxiety disorders, and suicide; eating disorders; alcoholism and substance abuse. All of
these conditions in turn lead to the increased use of medical services and resources.
(Eisenstat, S., Bancroft, L., “Domestic Violence,” The New England Journal of Medicine,
September 16, 1999, Vol. 341 (12), 886-892)
Identification of Domestic Violence/Women and their relationships with health care
providers:
• 92% of women who were physically abused by their partners did not discuss these
incidents with their physicians; 57% did not discuss the incidents with anyone.
(The Commonwealth Fund, First Comprehensive Survey of American Women finds them at
Significant Risk, (News Release). New York: The Commonwealth Fund, July 14, 1993)
• A 1999 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that
an estimated 10% of primary physicians routinely screen for intimate partner abuse
during new patient visits and 9% routinely screen during periodic checkups.
(Rodriquez, M., Bauer, H., Mcloughlin, E., Grumbach, K., (1999). Screening and Intervention for
Intimate Partner Abuse: Practices and Attitudes of Primary Care Physicians. The Journal of
American Medical Association, 282, No. 5, August 4, 1999)
• Although battered women comprise 20-30% of ambulatory care patients, only 1 in 20
is correctly identified as such by medical practitioners.
(Hyman et al., Laws Mandating Reporting of Domestic Violence: Do They Promote Patient Well-
Being?, Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 273, no. 22, 1781 (June 1995)
• One study found that less than 3% of women visiting emergency rooms disclosed or
were asked about DV by a nurse or physician.
(Abbott et al., Domestic Violence Against Women: Incidence and Prevalence in an Emergency
Department Population, Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 273, no. 22, 1763,
1765 (June 1995)
Mental Health and domestic Violence:
• Battered women are 15.3 times more likely than non-abused women to seriously want
to commit suicide.
(Jeffrey L. Edelson & Richard M. Toman, Intervention for Men Who Battered: An Ecological
Approach, 1992)
• One in four women who attempt suicide is a victim of abuse.
(Eisenstat, S., Bancroft, L., “Domestic Violence,”The New England Journal of Medicine,
September 16, 1999, Vol. 341 (12), 886-892)
• One in four women who are treated for psychiatric symptoms have been battered.
((Eisenstat, S., Bancroft, L., “Domestic Violence,”The New England Journal of Medicine,
September 16, 1999, Vol. 341 (12), 886-892)
• Fifty-six percent of women who experience any partner violence are diagnosed with a
psychiatric disorder.
(Danielson, K., Moffit, T., Caspi, A., and Silva, P., “Comorbidity Between Abuse of an Adult and
DSM-III-R Mental Disorders: Evidence From an Epidemiological Study,” American Journal of
Health Sciences. Vol. 25 (1), 1995)
• Thirty-seven percent of battered women have symptoms of depression, and 45%
experience posttraumatic stress disorder.
(Housekamo, B.M., and Foy, D., “The Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Battered
Women, “Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 6(3), 1991)
Pregnancy and Domestic Violence:
• Teenage women are at higher risk than adult women for battering during pregnancy. In
one study of low-income women attending public prenatal clinic, 20% of teenage women
(age 13-19) and 17% of adult women experienced battering during pregnancy.
• Twenty-five to 45% of battered women have experienced battering during pregnancy.
The prevalence of battering measured in one pre-natal clinic was 23%. There is an
increased chance of miscarriage, preterm labor and low birth weight in infants of mothers
who are battered during pregnancy.
(Howard Holtz and Kathleen Furniss, “The Health Care Providers Role in Domestic Violence, “
Trends in Health Care, Law & Ethics, Vol. 8, No. 2, Spring 1993, p. 47)
• Mere notification of pregnancy is frequently a flashpoint for battering and violence
within the family. The number of battering incidents is high during the pregnancy and
often the worst abuse can be associated with pregnancy.
(Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Robert Casey, Supreme Court of the U.S.,
1992, No. 288, p. 34)
• In a prospective study of 1,200 white, Hispanic and black pregnant women, one in six
reported physical abuse during pregnancy.
(Abuse During Pregnancy: A Cross-Cultural Study of Frequency and Severity of Injuries,
“J.McFarlane, 1991)
• More babies are born with birth defects as a result of the mother’s being battered than a
combination of all diseases and illnesses for which we now immunize pregnant women.
(L. Shiles, Death Before Life: The Tragedy of Infant Mortality, Report of the National Commission
to Prevent Infant Mortality, at 16, August 1988)
HOMELESSNESS
• Domestic Violence is the largest cause of homelessness in the United States.
(Joan Zorza, “Women Battering: A Major Cause of Homelessness”, in Clearinghouse Review,
1991)
• One-third to one-half of homeless women are on the streets because they are fleeing
domestic violence.
(U.S. Senate, Committee on the Judiciary. (August 29 , and December 11, 1990).
Hearings on Women and Violence, “Ten Facts about Violence against Women,”p. 78)
• When a woman leaves an abusive relationship, she often has nowhere to go. This is
particularly true of women with few resources. Lack of affordable housing and long
waiting lists for assisted housing mean that many women and their children are forced to
choose between abuse at home or being on the streets. Moreover, shelters are frequently
filled to capacity and must run away battered women and their children. An estimated
32% of requests for shelter by homeless families were denied in 1998 due to lack of
resources.
(The United States conference of Mayor, A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in
America’s Cities: 1998)
• In a study of 777 homeless parents ( the majority of whom were mothers) in ten U.S.
cities, 22% said they left their last place of residence because of domestic violence.
(Homes for the Homeless. Ten Cities 1997-1998: A Snapshot of Family Homelessness Across
America)
• There are nearly three times as many animal shelters in the United States as there are
shelters for battered women and their children.
(Senate Judiciary Hearings, Violence Against women Act, 1990)
IMMIGRATION ISSUES
• A battered woman who is not a legal resident, or whose immigration status depends on
her partner, is isolated by cultural dynamics which may prevent her from leaving her
husband or seeking assistance from the legal system. These factors contribute to the
higher incidence of abuse among immigrant women.
(Orloff et al., With No Place to Turn: Improving Advocacy for Battered Immigrant Women,
Family Law Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 2, 313 (Summer 1995)
• Some obstacles faced by battered women include: a distrust of the legal system arising
from their experiences with the system in their native countries; cultural and language
barriers; and fear of deportation.
(Orloff et al., With No Place to Turn: Improving Advocacy for Battered Immigrant Women,
Family Law Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 2, 313 (Summer 1995)
• Domestic violence is thought to be more prevalent among immigrant women than
among US citizens.
(Anderson, A License to Abuse: The Impact of Conditional Status on Female Immigrants, 102 Yale
L. J. 1401 (April 1993)
LEGAL ISSUES
Family Law Issues:
• Fathers who batter the mother are twice as likely to seek sole custody of their children
than are nonviolent fathers, and three times as likely to be in arrears in child support.
(American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family (1996).
Pg. 40
• When fathers fight they win custody 70% of the time, whether or not they have been
absentee or violent fathers.
(Chesler, P. (1991). Mothers on Trial: The Battle for Children and Custody. New York: McGraw
Hill Brook Co.)
• One study found that 25% of the abusive male partners of battered women in shelter
residents have kidnapped their children, 35% threatened to take the children in a custody
action, 25% used visitation to verbally abuse the children’s mothers, and 10% used
visitation to physically abuse the children’s mothers.
(Liss, M.B. and Stahly, G.B. (1993). Domestic Violence and Child Custody. In M. Hensen & N.
Hawaway (Eds.), Battering and Family Therapy: A Feminist Perspective (pp. 181-183). Newbury
Park: Sage Publications)
• 5% of abusive fathers threaten during visitation to kill the mother.
(Jaffe, P.G. (1995), Special Challenges in Custody and Visitation Dispute Resolution. Children of
Domestic Violence: The Silent Victims Project. Prepared for the Family Prevention Fund.)
• 34% of abusive fathers threaten to kidnap their children, and 11% actually do abduct
them.
(Liss, M.B. and Stahly, G.B. (1993). Domestic Violence and Child Custody. In M. Hensen & N.
Hawaway (Eds.), Battering and Family Therapy: A Feminist Perspective (pp. 181-183). Newbury
Park: Sage Publications)
Women , the Legal System and domestic Violence:
• Female victims of domestic violence are 6 times less likely to report crime to law
enforcement as are female victims of stranger violence.
(American Psychological Association, Violence and the Family: Report of the American
Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family (1996), p.10)
• Only about on-seventh of all domestic assaults come to the attention of the police.
(Florida Governor’s Task Force on Domestic and Sexual Violence, Florida Mortality Review
Project, 1997, p.3)
Protection Orders:
• A protection order issued by one U.S. state or Indian tribe is valid and enforceable in
any other U.S. state or Indian tribe.
(Violence Against Women Act of 1994, 18 U.S. C. 2265)
• In cases of marital or dating violence, which accounted for 82% of all protection order
cases, 90% of defendants were male.
(Adams & Powell, Tragedies of Domestic Violence: A Qualitative Analysis of Civil Restraining Orders in
Massachusetts, Office of the Commissioner of Probation, Massachusetts Trial Court, p.9 (1995))
• 35% of women with temporary protection orders did not return for a protection order
because the respondent stopped battering her; 17% because service of process was not
achieved.
(CPO’s: The Benefits and Limitations for Victims of Domestic Violence, National Center for State
Court Research Report, 1997)
• More than 17% of domestic homicide victims had a protection order against the
perpetrator at the time of the killing.
(Florida Governor’s Task Force on Domestic and Sexual Violence, Florida Mortality Review
Project, 1997, p. 46)
• Protection order defendants who had prior criminal histories were more likely to
violate the order than those who did not.
Adams & Powell, Tragedies of Domestic Violence: A Qualitative Analysis of Civil Restraining
Orders in Massachusetts, Office of the Commissioner of Probation, Massachusetts Trial Court, p.
17, 1995)
• In one study, nearly half of the victims who obtained a protection order were reabused
within two years.
(Buzawa & Buzawa ed., Do Arrests and Restraining Orders Work? P. 10, 1996)
• 60% of those obtaining protection orders in one study reported violations within one
year.
((Buzawa & Buzawa ed., Do Arrests and Restraining Orders Work? P.240, 1996)
LESBIAN, GAY, BI-SEXUAL
AND TRANS ISSUES
• Evidence suggests that the incidence and types of domestic violence n same sex
relationships are comparable to those in heterosexual relationships.
(Anti-violence Project/National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, Report on Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender Domestic Violence Domestic, New York: Anti-Violence Project National
Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 1998)
• Studies indicate that from 25% to 30% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered
people are abused by their intimate partners and that social discrimination and
marginalization may complicate their attempts to seek help, thus increasing the risk of
serious abuse.
(Renzetti, C., and C. Miley, Violence in Gay and Lesbian Domestic Partnerships, New York:
Hayworth Press, 1996)
• Same-sex batterers use forms of abuse similar to those of heterosexual batterers, they
also have an additional weapon in the threat of “outing” their partner to family, friends,
employers, or community.
(Lundy, Abuse That Dare Not Speak Its Name: Assisting Victims of Lesbian and Gay Domestic
Violence in Massachusetts, 28 New Eng. L. Rev. 273, Winter 1993)
SEPARATION VIOLENCE
• Women are most likely to be murdered when attempting to report abuse or leave an
abusive relationship.
(A. Browne, When Battered Women Kill, New York: Free Press, 1987)
• Separated women are 3 times more likely than divorced women and 25 times more
likely than married women still living with their husbands to be victimized by a batterer.
(Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Violence Against Women: Estimates from the
Redesigned Survey (NCJ-1542348), August 1995, p. 4)
• Separated/divorced women are 14 times more likely than married women to report
having been a victim of violence by their spouse or ex-spouse.
(Bureau of Justice Statistics: Female Victims of Violent Crime, 1991)
• In a study of divorced men, 40% of them admitted they had threatened to become
violent toward their former wives after the marriage ended.
(Arendell, T., Fathers and divorce: At the intersection of family and gender, Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage Publications, 1995)
• Non-fatal violence often escalates once the battered woman attempts to end the
relationship.
(David Adams, “Identifying the Assaultive Husband in Court: You Be the Judge,”
Response, Vol. 13, No.1, 1990, pp. 13-16)
WORKPLACE IMPACT
• Studies indicate that between 35 to 65 percent of employed battered women surveyed
were harassed at work, in person, by their abusive partner. Up to one-half of female
employees experiencing domestic violence lost a job, due at least in part to domestic
violence.
(Thomas Moore and Vicky Selkowe, Institute for Wisconsin’s Future, Domestic Violence Victims
in Transition from Welfare to Work: Barriers to Self-Sufficiency and the W-2 Response 6 (1999);
Jody Raphael, Taylor Institute, Prisoners of Abuse: Domestic Violence and Welfare Receipt 6-10
(1996))
• Abusive partners often interfere with women’s attempts to work or obtain education
by: making work-related threats, picking fights or inflicting injuries before important
events such as interview or tests, preventing the partner form sleeping, calling the partner
repeatedly at work, stalking the partner at work, saying negative things about partner’s
ability to succeed, or refusing to provide promised child care at the last minute.
(Thomas Moore and Vicky Selkowe, Institute for Wisconsin’s Future, Domestic Violence Victims
in Transition from Welfare to Work: Barriers to Self-Sufficiency and the W-2 Response 6 (1999);
Jody Raphael, Taylor Institute, Prisoners of Abuse: Domestic Violence and Welfare Receipt 6-10
(1996))
• Thirty-seven percent of women involved in partner violence have felt effects in the
Workplace-reflected in lateness, missed work, difficulty keeping a job, and difficulty
advancing in their careers.
(Results of EDK National Telephone Poll, September 1987)
• Women victims of severe domestic violence are at least three times as likely to be in
poor health and spend at least twice as much time in bed due to illness as women who
have never been battered.
(Jeffrey L. Edelson & Richard M. Tolman, Intervention For Men Who Batter: AN Ecological
Approach, 1992)
• The annual costs to U.S. companies for workplace domestic violence is $3.5 billion;
lost work time, increased health care costs, higher turnover and lower productivity.
(The Boston Globe, 3/11/92)
• Harassment on the job by the batterer, as well as the burden of time spent waiting to
appear in court, reduce battered women’s ability to maintain or secure employment.
(Committee on Battered Women, June 12, 1990, appearing in Helen Neuborne’s testimony at the
Biden Hearings)
• The average charge for medical services for injuries to abused women and children was
$1,633.00 per person per year. This would amount to a national annual cost of $857.3
million.
(Pennsylvania Blue Shield Institute, Social Problems and Rising Health Care Costs in
Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Blue Shield)
• 75% of working battered women use company time to contact doctors, lawyers,
shelters, counselors, family and friends because they can not do so at home. All of these
costs to their employers amount to at least $13 billion annually.
(Richard Magee, “Family Violence and the Workplace: The Role of Employee Assistance
Programs,” in Family Violence & Sexual Assault Bulletin, 1993)
Adapted from Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence Compilation
Of Statistics Packet, June 1993, 1996, update 2002