A Fact Sheet on Domestic Violence
prepared by the New Hampshire Coalition
Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
Domestic Violence:
A pattern of coercive behavior that is used by one person to gain power and control over another, which may include physical violence, sexual, emotional and psychological intimidation, verbal abuse, stalking, and economic control.
(Family Violence Prevention Fund. "Model Policy on Domestic Violence in the Workplace ".). Nearly 1 in 3 adult women experiences at least one physical assault by a partner
during adulthood. (Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Violence Against Women: Estimates from the Redesigned Survey (NCJ- 154348), August 1995, p. 3). Ninety to
ninety-five percent (90-95%) of domestic violence victims are women. (Bureau of Justice Statistics Selected Findings: Violence Between Intimates, November 1994).
As many as 95% of domestic violence perpetrators are male. (A Report of the Violence against Women Research Strategic Planning Workshop sponsored by the National Institute of Justice in Cooperation
with the US Department Of Health and Human Services, 1995). Approximately 17% of the 1.4 million people treated in hospital emergency rooms for violence related injuries are injured by an intimate partner.
(U.S. Department of Justice, August 1997. "Violence-related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments". MichaelR.Rand. Bureau of Justice Statistics). Fourteen percent
(14%) of married women said their husbands had used physical force or threat to try to have sex with them. Sexual assaults can and do occur within marital relationships. Most often, these assaults occur within a context
of on-going domestic violence. (American Medical Association: "Sexual Assault in America Guidelines on Sexual Assault", 1995). In 1996, approximately 1,800 murders were
attributed to intimates; nearly three out of four of these had a female victim. (Supplementary Homicide Reports, 1976-1996). Much of female violence is committed in self-defense, and
inflicts less injury than male violence. (Chalk & King, eds., Violence in Families: Assessing Prevention & Treatment Programs, National Resource Council and Institute of Medicine, p.
42 1998). Ninety-two percent (92%) of women who were physically abused by their partners did not discuss these incidents with their physicians; 57% did not discuss the incidents with anyone. (The Commonwealth Fund, "First Comprehensive National Health Survey of American Women Finds Them at Significant Risk", (News Release). New York: July 14, 1993). Each year, at least 6%
of all pregnant women, about 240,000 pregnant women, in this country are battered by the men in their lives. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution,
1994). One out of every four American women report that they have been physically abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. Thirty percent (30%) of Americans say they know a woman who
has been physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year. (Lieberman Research Inc., " Tracking Survey Conducted for the Advertising Council and the Family Violence Prevention
Fund," July-October, 1996). The U.S. Department of Justice reported that 37% of all women who sought care in hospital emergency rooms for violence-related injuries were injured by a current or former
spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend. (U.S. Department of Justice, August 1997. Violence-relatedIniuries Treated in Hosl2italEmergencyDeaartments. Michael R. Rand. Bureau of Justice Statistics).
While women are less likely than men to be victims of violent crimes overall, women are five to eight times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner. (US. Department
of Justice, March 1997, Violence by Intimates: Analysis Qf Data on Crimes by Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriends and Girlfriends). Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between
ages 15 and 44 in the United States, more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1991, Uniform Crime Report ). By the most conservative
estimate, each year 1 million women suffer nonfatal violence by an intimate. (Bureau of Justice Statistics. Special Report.- Violence Against Women: Estimates from the Redesigned Survey
(NCJ154348), August 1995, p. 3). Substance abuse increases the risk that men will batter their partners, although the substance, per se, is not the key factor. (Pernanen, K. (1991)
Alcohol in human violence. quoted by Bennett, Larry W. (1997). Substance Abuse and Women Abuse bv Mate Partners, VAWnet, a project of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence). A study
conducted at Rush Medical Center in Chicago found that the average charge for medical services provided to abused women, children, and older people was $1,633 per person per year. This would amount to a national annual
cost of $857.3 million. (Meyer, H. "The Billion Dollar Epidemic ". American Medical News, January 6, 1992). Eighty-eight percent (88%) of victims of domestic violence
fatalities had a documented history of physical abuse. (Florida Governor's Task Force on Domestic and Sexual Violence, Florida Mortality Review Project, 1997, pp.46-48, tables 14-21).
The 14 member groups of the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
assist survivors of sexual assault, and domestic violence, and- members of their families, with 24-hour crisis lines, emergency shelter, counseling, support groups and help dealing with police, medical and court personnel. The programs provide speakers and educational programs to community groups. In 1997,
Coalition groups
assisted 1,073 sexual assault survivors. They helped hundreds of women obtain restraining orders against their abusers. |
