• Around the world, at least one in every three women has been physically
  or sexually abused during her lifetime.
  
  
• Domestic violence is primarily a crime against women; however, men can be abused as well. In 2001, women accounted for 85% of the victims of intimate partner violence and men accounted for approximately 15%. Gay men, lesbians, bisexual and transgender persons are just as likely as heterosexual women to be abused by their partner.
  
  
• Intimate partner violence affects people of all ages. Women age 16 to 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence; approximately one in five female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner. Nearly 6% of couples 60 and older experienced physical violence in their relationship within the past year, and of these, 40% reported the first violent incident occurred at least 25 years ago.
  
  
• Intimate partner violence affects people of all races, from all cultures, countries, and religions.

MYTH 2: Domestic violence is just a push, slap, or punch-it does not produce serious injuries.

FACT

• On average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends 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.
  
  
• 37% of women who sought treatment in emergency rooms for violencerelated injuries in 1994 were injured by a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend.
  
  
• Firearms were the major weapon type used in intimate partner homicides from 1981 to 1998.
  
  
• Physical and sexual dating violence against adolescent girls is associated with increased risk of substance use, unhealthy weight control behaviors, sexual risk behaviors, pregnancy, and suicidality.

MYTH 3: Battering is a momentary loss of temper.

FACT

• Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors, including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks, as well as economic coercion.
  
  
• 65% of women physically assaulted by an intimate partner report having been assaulted multiple times by the same partner.
  
  
• 75% of intimate partner femicides reviewed in a recent study were preceded by one or more incidents of stalking within a year of the crime.

MYTH 4: Domestic violence is a private family matter, it does not have anything to do with work.

FACT

• Severe intimate partner violence may result in the need for medical attention, taking time off from work, and suffering from stress and depression.
  
  
• Unemployment and drug or alcohol use by the abuser is associated with increased risk for physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse for the victim.
  
  
• The costs of domestic violence to society are high: intimate partner rape, physical assault, and stalking include $0.9 billion in lost productivity from paid work and household chores for victims of nonfatal intimate partner violence.

MYTH 5: It is easy for victims of domestic violence to leave their abusers.

FACT

• One third of homeless families seeking emergency shelter are turned away and in one recent survey of US cities, domestic violence was found to be the primary cause of homelessness more than half the time.
  


• Victims of domestic violence are often prevented from getting or keeping jobs by their abusers, and many victims who leave their abusers face poverty, unemployment, and homelessness as a result of leaving.

MYTH 6: Children are not affected when one parent abuses another.

FACT

• Each year, thousands of American children witness violence in their homes. Witnessing violence is a risk factor for long-term physical and mental health problems, substance abuse, and the possibility of becoming a victim or perpetrator of violence. Witnessing family violence can be more traumatic than witnessing street violence, because those involved are people the child loves and depends on.
  
• 40% to 60% of men who abuse women also abuse their children, and fathers who batter are twice as likely as non-abusive fathers to seek sole custody of their children.
  

Call the Women's Center or Rhode Island.
We have a 24 hour confidential help line.
We don't tell you what to do; we provide options and can help if you want us to.

Our help line is: (401) 861-2760 (Providence)
The statewide toll-free number is: 1-800-494-8100