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You may ask yourself what your neighbor beating his wife has to do with you. What business of yours is it when you see someone on the street yell, curse and belittle their partner and their children? We often believe that it is their business, we shouldn’t get involved, and they will work it out. We may believe that what someone else is doing in their home is none of our concern because it doesn’t affect us in any way. Besides, there is nothing we can do about it anyway. The truth is that is does affect us and there are many things we can to end intimate partner violence (IPV). Following are some statistics that you may find interesting, and you may understand why this is important to you.
Nearly three out of four (74%) of Americans personally know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence. 30% of Americans say they know a woman who has been physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year.
On average, more than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partners in this country every day. In 2000, 1,247 women were killed by an intimate partner. The same year, 440 men were killed by an intimate partner. Intimate partner homicides accounted for 30% of the murders of women and 5% percent of the murders of men.
The health-related costs of intimate partner violence 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. Thirty-seven percent of women who sought treatment in emergency rooms for violence-related injuries in 1994 were injured by a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend.
Approximately one in five female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner.
Forty percent of girls age 14 to 17 reports knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend.
One in five teens in a serious relationship reports having been hit, slapped, or pushed by a partner. 14% of teens report their boyfriend or girlfriend threatened to harm them or themselves to avoid a breakup. Many studies indicate that as a dating relationship becomes more serious, the potential for, and nature of violent behavior also escalates.
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.
Do you have children or grandchildren?
Annually, 18 people die in Oregon as a result of domestic violence. These victims include men, women, and children.
At least 1 in 10 Oregon women between the ages of 20-55 (more than 85,000 women) have been physically or sexually assaulted by a current or former intimate partner in the preceding five years. Children witnessed 33% of those assaults.
1 in 6 Oregon women has been the victim of rape. More than 50% of rape victims are under 17 years old. (308,397)
The number of people who are affected by violence against women is not only those directly involved; we are all affected by violence, and we can all be part of the solution. If you or someone you know is a victim and you want to help them, please come talk to an advocate. If you would like to be involved in some other way, there are many volunteer opportunities available. Please stop by our offices in the Coalition building at 535 East River Street, Cave Junction, Oregon, or give us a call at 541-592-2515. When all of us become advocates, then we may see an end to the violence.
For a resource list and more information, go to www.dvrc-or.org.
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