Domestic Violence Facts

As we have seen with recent reports about Chris Brown and Rihanna, domestic violence does not discriminate between income, occupation, fame, age, or anything. Here are some startling statistics on domestic violence:

-Each day in the U.S., between 5 and 11 women are killed by a male intimate partner, between 1800 and 4000 a year.

-In the U.S. women are more likely to be killed by their male intimate partners than all other homicide categories combined.

-Studies show that the vast majority of women who kill their abusers do so as a last resort in defense of their own lives or and/or the lives of their children.

-Battered women who defend themselves are being convicted or are accepting pleas at a rate of 75-83% nationwide.

-Between 2.1 and 8 million women are abused by their partners annually in the U.S. At least every 15 seconds, a woman is beaten by her husband or boyfriend.

-The Surgeon General has reported for at least 10 years that battering is the single largest cause of injury to U.S. women.

-In many U.S. cities, more than 50% of women and children seeking shelter are turned away due to lack of space.

-Only (an estimated) 10% of incidents of domestice violence are reported, often due to shame, and fear that the abuser will retaliate when reported.

-The injuries battered women recieve are at least as serious as injuries suffered in 90% of violent felony crimes, yet under state laws, they are almost always classified as misdomeanors.

-In some surveys, 90% of battered women who reported assault to the police actually did sign complaints, but fewer that 1% of the cases were ever prosecuted...

[Facts compiled by the National Clearinghouse in Defense of Battered Women, Washington, D.C. ]

-If you or someone you know is being abused, speak up!!! Call your local domestic abuse hotline, and the police.