Prevalence of Domestic Violence

• Intimate partner violence is primarily a crime against women. In 2001, women accounted for 85 percent of the victims of intimate partner violence (588,490 total) and men accounted for approximately 15 percent of the victims (103,220 total).
• In 2001, intimate partner violence made up 20 percent of violent crime against women.
• Women of all races are about equally vulnerable to violence by an intimate.
• 16-24 year old women are consistently reported as the group most at risk of abuse

Health Issues

• The health-related costs of rape, physical assault, stalking and homicide committed by intimate partners exceed $5.8 billion each year. Of that amount, nearly $4.1 billion are for direct medical and mental health care services, and nearly $1.8 billion are for the indirect costs of lost productivity or wages.

Domestic Violence and Children

• In a national survey of more than 6,000 American families, 50 percent of the men who frequently assaulted their wives also frequently abused their children.
• Studies suggest that between 3.3 - 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually.
• Abused children and those children exposed to adult violence in their homes may have short and long term physical, emotional and learning problems, including: increased aggression, decreased responsiveness to adults, failure to thrive, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, hyper vigilance and hyperactivity, eating and sleeping problems, and developmental delays.