ABOUT ABUSE

Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive and controlling behaviors that a person uses against an intimate or former partner. It might include:

Physical Abuse: Shoving, hitting, kicking, burning, choking, using weapons or other objects to cause injury; restraining.

Sexual Violence: Forcing or coercing, unwanted sexual acts, refusing to practice safer sex, treating a partner like a sex object.

Emotional Abuse/Intimidation: Name calling/ put-downs; denying/shifting blame; treating a partner as an inferior; threatening to harm others/self or to reveal information that might be harmful; using threatening looks, actions, or gestures.

Property/Economic Abuse: Destroying/ stealing property; denying money for basic
needs such as food or medical care; interfering with a partner’s work or education.

Stalking: Monitoring activities, phone calls, or emails,following a partner   impersonating or questioning others about a partner. This may be done without the victim’s knowledge.

Domestic Violence Statistics

• Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten.
• Everyday in the US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.
• Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend threatened violence or self harm if presented with a breakup.
• Domestic violence victims loose nearly 8 million days of paid work per year in the US alone the equivalent to 32,000 full time jobs.
• Based on reports from 10 countries, between 55 percent and 95 percent of women who had been physically abused by their partners had never contacted non-governmental organizations, shelters, or the police for help.