The Facts About Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors used by one individual intended to exert power and control over another individual in the context of an intimate or family relationship.
pattern: Domestic violence involves more than one or even several isolated incidents of violence. It involves an interrelated pattern that includes a wide variety of abusive behaviors and usually increases in frequency and intensity over time.
abusive behaviors: Abusive or coercive behaviors may include, but are not limited to, physical assaults, verbal assaults, threats, intimidation, use of weapons, destruction of property, violence toward other significant people or pets, sexual manipulation, and control over economic resources.
intended to exert power and control: The pattern of behaviors is not a matter of coincidence or the result of a time-limited crisis. Rather, it is an ongoing pattern in the relationship whereby the abuser acts to control the other person.
intimate or family relationship: A relationship between two people intended to provide emotional and physical intimacy.
Domestic Violence: The Facts
- Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. (Heise, L., Ellsberg, M. and Gottemoeller, M. Ending Violence Against Women. Population Reports, Series L, No. 11., December 1999)
- Intimate partner violence is primarily a crime against women. In 2001, women accounted for 85 percent of the victims of intimate partner violence (588,490 total) and men accounted for approximately 15 percent of the victims (103,220 total).
- 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. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The National Institute of Justice, Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence, July 2000)
- The price tag each year for intimate partner rape, physical assault and stalking women is more than $5.8 billion, which includes medical and mental health services and lost productivity. (“Costs of Intimate Partner Violence in the United States.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2003)
- In 2000, 1,247 women were killed by an intimate partner. The same year, 440 men were killed by an intimate partner. (Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001, February 2003)
- An abuser will hit their partner an average of 35 times before police are notified for the first time. (Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, February 2003)
- More than 80 percent of women stalked by a current or former intimate partner are also physically assaulted by that partner. More than 30 percent of women stalked by a current or former intimate partner are also sexually assaulted by that partner. Intimate partners that stalk are four times more likely than intimate partners in the general population to physically assault their victims and six times more likely to sexually assault their victims. (Tjaden, Patricia and Thoennes, Nancy, April 1998, Stalking in America: Findings From the National Violence Against Women Survey, http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles/169592.txt 25 July 2007).
View more domestic violence statistics.
Domestic Violence and the Connection to Homelessness
When a woman leaves an abusive relationship, she often has nowhere to go. For many, the only choices are staying in the abusive environment, going to a shelter or living on the street.
Studies show a connection between domestic violence to homelessness, particularly among families with children. One study has found that 50% of homeless women and children were fleeing abuse.
Shelters provide immediate safety, respite and supportive services. Unfortunately, shelters are frequently filled to capacity and often turn away battered women and their children. It is estimated that, in one year in Virginia, 2,000 women seeking shelter from domestic violence were turned away due to lack of space or resources.
Learn more about the link between violence and homelessness.
