Domestic and Sexual Violence Statistics
Sexual Violence is a broad term that includes sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment, and molestation. It affects women, men, youth, elders and society. The act of sexual violence is about power and control over another.
Historically, the issue of sexual violence has been viewed as a women's issue. In recent years, observers have identified that male perpetration of sexual assault and relationship violence is a serious problem. In addressing this problem, many communities have focused their efforts on the behavior of potential victims (mainly women). While these programs are valuable, communities have been slow to focus specifically on the behavior of the potential perpetrator (mainly men).
The goal of Men Ending Violence is to invite men to participate in efforts to reduce sexual violence. We can no longer think of rape as "just a women's issue." Sexual violence impacts both men and women. Ending sexual violence begins by inviting men to learn about sexual violence and challenging them to examine masculinity. Men have a responsibility and the power to end sexual violence. As men begin to speak out against sexual violence they become part of the solution. We want you to be part of the solution!
- One in four women (25%) has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime
- A woman is battered every nine seconds in the U.S.
- Women accounted for 85% of the victims of intimate partner violence, men for approximately 15%
- Women ages 20-24 are at the greatest risk of nonfatal intimate partner violence
- Separated and divorced males and females are at a greater risk of nonfatal intimate partner violence
- Nearly three out of four (74%) of Americans personally know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence
- Studies show that access to shelter services led to greater reduction in severe re-assault than did seeking court or law enforcement protection, or moving to a new location
- On average, more than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partners in this country every day
- Forty percent of girls age 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend
- Date rape accounts for almost 70% of sexual assaults reported by adolescent and college age women; 38% of those women are between 14 and 17 years old
- In a national survey of American families, 50% of the men who frequently assaulted their wives also frequently abused their children
- Three in four women (76%) who reported they had been raped and/or physically assaulted since age 18 said that an intimate partner committed the assault
- One in five (21%) women reported she had been raped or physically or sexually assaulted in her lifetime
- More than 1 million women are stalked each year in the U.S., and over a quarter of them report missing work as a result of the stalking.
- One in 12 women and one in 45 men will be stalked in their lifetime, for an average duration of almost two years
- Eighty percent of women who are stalked by former husbands are physically assaulted by that partner and 30 percent are sexually assaulted by that partner
- Seventy-six percent of female homicide victims were stalked prior to their death
- 48% of Latinas in one study reported that their partner's violence against them had increased since they emmigrated to the United States
- One in four girls and one in six boys will experience sexual abuse before the age of 18.
- Domestic violence is more than the occasional slap or punch: almost a third of women who visit emergency rooms are there for injuries related to abuse from a partner.
- A woman has a 75% greater chance of being murdered if she leaves the violent relationship.
- Sexual assault is the most under-reported crime in the world.
- 80% percent of women said that they would like their healthcare providers to ask them privately about intimate partner violence.
Statistics for Same-Sex Relationships
Interpersonal Violence Can Have Long-term Effects
- Men who were abused as children are twice as likely to become abusers themselves.
- Children who had been exposed to violence are more likely to show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as bed-wetting or nightmares, and more likely to have allergies, asthma, gastrointestinal problems, headaches and flu.
- Children who have witnessed domestic violence are more likely to exhibit behavioral and physical health problems including depression, anxiety, and violence towards their peers.
- They are also more likely to attempt suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away from home, engage in teenage prostitution, and commit sexual assault crimes.
- Dating violence affects women regardless of their age, but teens are particularly vulnerable. In fact, young women age 16 to 24 experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence.
Domestic Violence Costs All of Us
The costs of intimate partner violence exceed $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health care services much of which is paid for by the employer.
The annual cost of lost productivity due to domestic violence is estimated as $727.8 million with over 7.9 million paid workdays lost each year.
Do You Know Someone Who is Being Abused?
Here’s how you can help:
- Believe what s/he tells you. It may be especially difficult for the person to speak about what is happening; be patient and listen carefully and actively.
- Be sympathetic. Listen without judging or offering advice that is not asked for. Respect and validate his/her feelings even if they seem strange to you.
- Respect the confidence of the person. Keep information confidential; tell only those people who are qualified to help.
- Be supportive. Assure the victim that the abuse is not his/her fault. Encourage the person to seek help, and offer to accompany them to the places they need to go.
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