What is Domestic Violence?
Please note: We refer to the person being abused as the survivor rather then the victim out of respect for the ability and skills the survivor has in navigating, coping with, and surviving the relationship with the abuser.
Domestic Violence can be defined as a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner, dating partner, housemate, or common parent of a child.
- Abuse is physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, isolate, injure, or wound someone.
- Domestic Violence does not discriminate on the basis of age, ethnicity, race, religious group, income, sexual orientation, or marital status. Both males and females can be victims of domestic violence.
- Domestic violence and other domestic friction is a significant contributor to loss of income, homelessness, personal injury and death.
- Four million American women experience a serious assault by a partner during an average 12-month period.
- On average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends every day in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that the cost of domestic violence in 2003 was over $8.3 billion. This cost includes medical care, mental health services, and lost productivity. This study does not include unreported cases. Neither does the study consider the cost to our community for law enforcement, the judicial system or social service agencies.