1 in four women in the USA will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.9
1 in 3 women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime.12
85% of domestic violence victims are women.9
In general, females between the ages of 12 and 15 or over the age of 50 were at the lowest risk of nonfatal intimate partner violence.6
Domestic Violence and Children
30-60% of perpetrators of intimate partner violence also abuse children in the household.10
Boys who witness domestic violence are twice as likely to abuse their own partners and children when they become adults.10
Women who reported experiencing frequent verbal or physical abuse during childhood were nearly 3 times more likely to have had sex before the age of 15.11
Women who reported that their mother was often hit during their childhood were 2.5 times more likely to have had sex before the age of 15 compared to those whose mothers were not hit or were rarely hit.11
Domestic Violence and Homicide
A study of homicides in the USA in 2002 showed that of the women who were killed by firearms, 2/3 were killed by an intimate partner.5
There were over 1,500 homicides due to intimate partner violence in 2005.17
Domestic Violence and Stalking
81% of women stalked by a current or former partner are also physically assaulted by that partner.9
76% of women who were killed by their intimate partner were stalked by that partner before they were killed.16
Each year, more than 3 million people in the U.S. are stalked.10
Domestic Violence and the Workplace
30-53% of employed victims of domestic violence lose their jobs due at least in part to the abuse.1
96-98% of employed domestic violence victims experienced problems at work related to the abuse.1
2/3 (67%) of employed domestic violence victims reported that the perpetrator came to the workplace.1
The number of paid work days lost by victims of domestic violence, which is nearly 8 million days, is equivalent to more than 32,000 full-time jobs and nearly 5.6 million days of household productivity.9
Make sure that your school, work place, and faith community have information about domestic violence (signs of abuse , national and local resources) as well as the hotline posted in the women's bathrooms. Also ask your doctor, local clinic, dentist, etc. to put up a poster and have brochures available in their lobbies.
