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What is Domestic Violence?
Domestic violence
is a pattern of abusive behavior directed at a former or current
partner, spouse, or boyfriend or girlfriend. The abuser uses fear,
manipulation, and intimidation to gain power and control over the other person. The abuse can take many forms, including physical
battering, emotional abuse,
economic abuse, and sexual
abuse, and may involve using
children, pets, threats,
intimidation, and isolation.
Emotional abuse means intense and
repetitive degradation, creating isolation, and controlling the actions
or behaviors of the spouse through intimidation or manipulation to the
detriment of the individual. "Five Year State Master Plan for the
Prevention of and Service for Domestic Violence." Utah State
Department of Human Services, January 1994.
Domestic
violence affects all types of people,
regardless of gender, ethnicity, race, sexual identity, socio-economic
status, and religion. It is also called intimate partner abuse, family
violence, battering, elder abuse, teen relationship abuse, domestic
battery, & confinement.
Domestic violence is the most under
reported crime in
Domestic violence is the leading
cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the
One woman is beaten by her husband or
partner every 15 seconds in the
About 1 out of 4 women are likely to
be abused by a partner in her lifetime. Sara Glazer, "Violence,
Against Women" CO Researcher, Congressional Quarterly, Inc., Volume
3, Number 8, February, 1993, p. 171.
Approximately 95% of the victims of
domestic violence are women. Statistics, National Clearinghouse for the
Defense of Battered Women, Ruth Peachey, M.D. 1988. Abuse occurs among
people of all races, ages, socio-economic classes, religious
affiliations, occupations, and educational backgrounds.
Fifty percent of all homeless women
and children in this country are fleeing domestic violence. Senator
Joseph Biden,
A battering incident is rarely an
isolated event.
Battering tends to increase and
become more violent over time.
Many abusers learned violent behavior
growing up in an abusive family.
25% - 45% of all women who are
battered are battered during pregnancy.
Domestic violence does not end
immediately with separation. Over 70% of the women injured in domestic
violence cases are injured after separation.
