11 facts about domestic violence

11 Facts about Domestic/Dating Violence (via http://www.dosomething.org/)

1. Domestic/dating violence (also known as intimate partner violence) is a pattern of controlling behaviors that one partner uses to get power over the other. It includes:
   -any kind of physical violence or threat of physical violence to get control
   -emotional or mental abuse, such as playing mind games, making you feel crazy, or constantly putting you down or criticizing you
   -Sexual abuse, including making you do anything you don’t want to do, refusing to have safe sex or making you feel badly about yourself sexually


2. About 95% of all domestic violence victims are female. And the majority of male victims are assaulted by other men.


3. One third of American women and one quarter of women worldwide will experience domestic/dating violence in their lifetime.


4. An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year. Some studies say the numbers are even greater – up to 5.3 million – since most assaults go unreported.


5. Only 25% of all physical assaults perpetuated by intimate partners are reported to the police.


6. Females who are 20-24 years of age are at the greatest risk for intimate partner violence.


7. On average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in this country every day. That’s more than 1100 women a year.


8. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women – more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.


9. One half of all homeless women in the country are fleeing from domestic violence.


10. Women are more likely to be attacked by someone they know rather than by a stranger.


11. Domestic/Dating violence costs the US $5.8 billion annually in health related costs, with $4.1 bil for victims needing medical and mental health services