25 Eye-Opening Facts About Domestic Violence

Posted by , Updated on January 10, 2024

Domestic violence is more common than you might think. And no one person or community is immune to it. It’s found in all socioeconomic homes, backgrounds, and cultures. Sadly, it happens not only daily but every few seconds. For instance, every 9 seconds a woman in the United States is assaulted or beaten. There’s no one easy solution to fix the problem, but opening our eyes, staying informed, and saying no to it in our own homes may be the best first steps to help reduce it. Here are 25 Eye-Opening Facts About Domestic Violence You Need To Know.

25

In the United States, nearly 20 people per minute are abused by an intimate partner. That's 10 million women and men a year.

crowdSource: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_report2010-a.pdf
24

Every year, domestic violence hotlines receive over 200,000 phone calls.

phoneSource: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/when-your-adult-child-breaks-your-heart/201510/5-facts-everyone-must-know-about-domestic
23

About 324,000 women experience intimate partner violence during pregnancy each year.

pregnantSource: https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-domestic-and-dating-violence
22

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, women make up 85% of domestic violence victims.

womanSource: http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/domviol/facts.htm
21

On average, an abuser will hit his spouse 35 times before she makes a police report.

policeSource: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/50-actual-facts-about-dom_b_2193904.html
20

Few people receive medical care after being injured by a partner. In a report by the U.S. Department of Justice, only 34% of the victims actually sought out medical care.

doctorSource: https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ndv0312.pdf
19

If they witnessed domestic violence at home, boys are twice as likely to do the same to their spouse and children when they become adults.

boysSource: http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/domviol/facts.htm
18

1 in 15 children are exposed to domestic violence and of those children, 90% actually see it happen as opposed to just hearing it or hearing about it.

sadSource: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/232272.pdf
17

There's a 2 out of 5 chance that a gay man will experience domestic violence.

manSource: http://www.mmgconnect.com/projects/userfiles/File/DCE-STOP_NOW/NCADV_LGBT_Fact_Sheet.pdf
16

There's also a 50 percent chance that a lesbian will experience domestic violence.

womanSource: http://www.mmgconnect.com/projects/userfiles/File/DCE-STOP_NOW/NCADV_LGBT_Fact_Sheet.pdf
15

According to the American Bar Association, the number one cause of death for African American women ages 15 to 34 is death by the hands of a partner.

african american womanSource: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/domestic_violence/resources/statistics.html#african_americans
14

Fifty percent of U.S. cities point to domestic violence as a primary reason for homelessness.

denverSource: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/why.html
13

It's most common for domestic violence to take place between 6 pm and 6 am.

clockSource: https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-domestic-and-dating-violence
12

The risk of murder increases by 500% when guns are in the house where domestic violence is a problem.

gunSource: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/when-your-adult-child-breaks-your-heart/201510/5-facts-everyone-must-know-about-domestic
11

A common myth is that men aren't victims of domestic violence, but one study showed 40% of men experience it..

sad manSource: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/when-your-adult-child-breaks-your-heart/201510/5-facts-everyone-must-know-about-domestic
10

A victim blaming culture makes it more difficult for victims to seek out help and reinforces the abuser's violent actions.

victim blamingSource: http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/womens-aid-victim-blaming-domestic-violence-2947355-Aug2016/
9

Battering will only increase and become more violent over time.

family advocacySource: http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/domviol/facts.htm
8

According to a study by the CDC, 60.8% female and 43.5% male victims reported being stalked by a current or former intimate partner.

stalkerSource: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_report2010-a.pdf
7

40% of women with disabilities reported having experienced domestic violence.

disabled womanSource: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/50-actual-facts-about-dom_b_2193904.html
6

33 to 47.3% of women reported being strangled by a spouse in one year.

sad womanSource: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/50-actual-facts-about-dom_b_2193904.html
5

While 30 states and Washington DC have gender neutral domestic violence laws, Delaware, Montana, and South Carolina explicitly exclude same-sex victims from domestic violence protections under the law.

lawsSource: http://www.mmgconnect.com/projects/userfiles/File/DCE-STOP_NOW/NCADV_LGBT_Fact_Sheet.pdf
4

Domestic violence victims are much more likely to have suicidal thoughts, PTSD, use drugs like cocaine, and suffer poor performance at school and work.

ptsdSource: https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence
3

People ages 12 to 34 are the most at risk for domestic sexual abuse.

young peopleSource: https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence
2

Every day, at least three women are killed by a spouse.

woman sadSource: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/index.html
1

At some point in their lives, nearly 7.8 million women will have been raped by an intimate partner.

rapeSource: http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/domviol/facts.htm


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