Every year family violence affects:
As many as 20 million women
Two million elderly and
Three million children
Among adult women each year: 6
Over 20 million are estimated to be verbally abused
Nearly five million are physically abused
Two million are severely abused by their husbands7
Over 2,000 are killed
Among American children each year:
2.8 million are victims of child abuse or neglect8
565,000 are seriously injured8
18,000 suffer permanent disabilities9
There are an estimated 2,000 deaths annually from child
abuse and neglect.9
Sexual Assault:
Almost five million American women over the age of eleven
years were raped, robbed or assaulted or were the victim of an attempted violent
crime in 1992-3.10
Over 12 million American women (1 in 7) have been raped,
56% more than once
In 50% of adult relationships where battering occurs, sexual
assault is part of the pattern of violence.11
Domestic or Family Violence is Implicated in:
Over 25% of female suicide attempts
Nearly 50% of all child abuse
More than 45% of cases of female alcoholism12
Nearly 100% of illegal drug use among women who require
treatment for addiction13
Sixty percent of psychiatric hospitalizations among women14
A substantial proportion of cases of drug abuse, depression,
and panic disorder among women15
Fifty percent of homeless women and children are fleeing
domestic violence16
While the previous statistics appear to be high, it is likely that they underestimate
the true incidence of family violence for a variety of reasons. For
many reasons, individuals tend to under-report family violence. They
may have been raised in homes where abusive behaviors were the norm, and do
not recognize these behaviors as reportable either to police or public health
investigators. Denial is a common coping mechanism and for many victims,
fear is a constant companion. Those who batter require only a minor
pretext for another display of intimidation and control. Complicity
with the batterer to hide the signs of abuse is one way that victims extend
the period between violent episodes. In spite of legal safeguards, implementation
of the law results in incomplete protection for the victim(s) of domestic
violence, and there is danger of reprisal for disclosing violent behavior.
When families are involved, truthful reporting of violence may jeopardize
a woman's custody of her children. As a society, we find it hard to
face the fact that family violence is prevalent and pervasive. Many
of the victims whose lives are touched by violence are embarrassed to admit
its existence. Those who broach the subject report feeling rejected,
as though they have done something wrong. It is a secret that is difficult
to share and difficult to receive because the pain of the victim is hard to
bear. And so it is hidden.
