Domestic Violence: The Facts

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Domestic violence (also known as intimate partner violence) can happen to anyone, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, orientation, socio-economic status, or other factors.

The Victims

• One in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime. 
• Women experience more than 4 million physical assaults and rapes because of their partners, and men are victims of nearly 3 million physical assaults.
• Women are more likely to be killed by an intimate partner (30%) than men (5%).
• Women ages 20 to 24 are at greatest risk of becoming victims of domestic violence.
• Every year, 1 in 3 women who is a victim of homicide is murdered by her partner.

The Families

• Every year, more than 3 million children witness domestic violence in their homes.
• Children who live in homes where there is domestic violence are also victims of abuse or neglect in 30% of 60% of such cases.
• A 2005 Michigan study found that children exposed to domestic violence at home show greater symptoms of trauma, including becoming sick more often, complaining frequently of headaches or stomachaches, and being more tired and lethargic.
• A 2003 study found that children are more likely to intervene when they witness severe violence against a parent – which places the child at great risk for injury or even death.

The Circumstances

• Domestic violence is most likely to occur between 6pm and 6am for both female and male victims.
• Domestic violence happens at home in more than 60% of reported incidents.
• More domestic violence-related homicides occur in rural areas than in suburban or urban areas.

The Consequences

• Among battered women living in shelters, 88% experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder because of domestic violence.
• Among women brought to emergency rooms because of domestic violence, most were socially isolated, had lower self-esteem, and had fewer social and financial resources than other women not injured because of domestic violence.
• Girls who witness domestic violence are far more likely to become victims themselves, thus continuing the cycles of victimization.
• Boys who witness domestic violence are also far more likely to become abusers, of both their spouses/partners and their children, thus perpetuating the cycles of violence in their own homes.
• Nearly 50% of homeless women and children are homeless because of domestic violence.
• According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families.
• Domestic violence costs more than $37 billion a year in law enforcement involvement, legal work, medical and mental health treatment, and lost productivity at companies.

… #1 FACT: MOST CASES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ARE NEVER REPORTED …

Change the facts – speak up, speak out, and make a difference for victims of domestic violence.

Get more facts:

Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs. Intimate Partner Violence in the United States

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Injury Prevention and Control: Violence Prevention.

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Fact Sheets

National Criminal Justice Reference Service, Family Violence – Facts and Figures