Missionaries of the Sacred

Domestic Violence, An Overview PDF Print

 

Domestic violence can happen to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender. It can happen to couples who are married, living together or who are dating. Domestic violence affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels.

Domestic or intimate partner violence not only affects the individual but also his/her children, education, work etc. Intimate partner violence is a social issue and is linked to other social issues, such as poverty, homicide, abortion, earlier sexual activity among teens and teen pregnancy. The costs to society are high. Consider the following statistics:

  • In the United States, on the average, more than three women are murdered every day by their husbands or boyfriends.3
  • According to estimates done by the National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS), there are 4,450,807 intimate partner violence physical assaults against women each year. 41.5% of these assults cause injuries, and 28.1% of those injured required medical care.12
  • However, there are also studies that indicate that many of the injuries resulting from domestic violence are not medically treated. According to data from the U.S. Department of Justice as reported by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, less than 20% of victims reporting an injury from intimate partner violence sought medical treatment for it.10
  • For victims of intimate partner violence physical assault who actually receive treatment, the mean cost of medical care is $2,665.12
  • As many as 324,000 women each year experience intimate partner violence during their pregnancy.3
  • Violence against women costs companies $72.8 million annually due to lost productivity.3
  • High school girls who reported experiencing dating violence were 4 to 6 times more likely to have ever been pregnant than peers who had not experienced dating violence.11

 

Quick Fact: Domestic Violence and Abortion:

2% of women who have abortions cite an abusive partner as a reason.4 Although this percentage may seem small, it is still significant, especially when you consider that there are over 1 million abortions in the US each year. Furthermore, an additional 11% of women cite the fact that their husband or partner wanted them to have an abortion as the reason.

Quick Fact: Domestic Violence and Poverty.

Although victims of domestic violence represent all socioeconomic backgrounds, people with lower annual income (below $25K) are at a 3-times higher risk of intimate partner violence than people with higher annual income (over $50K).6
 

Intimate Partner Violence Information

Help Break the Silence

Talk to your children about healthy relationships, respect and dating.

Links to More Resources

National Domestic Violence Hotline
Personal Safety Plan Checklist (PDF)
Statistics: Intimate Partner Violence in the US
Love Is Respect
Stalking Resource Center
When I Call for Help: A Pastoral Response to Domestic Violence Against Women
Men Stopping Violence
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