Domestic violence rates in the United States are staggering. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) states that more than 10 million women and men will be abused by an intimate partner each year.
That’s almost 20 people per minute. By the end of their lives, 1 in 3 women, and a shocking 1 in 4 men, will have experienced some form of physical violence inflicted by a close partner.
Domestic violence destroys relationships and families. It brings down the self-esteem of the abused. It can cause emotional and physical scars that last forever and it can alter the course of many lives.
There are many organizations that exist to put a stop to domestic violence for good, but unfortunately, it is something that continues to prevail within the United States.
Slowing the rates of domestic violence takes a lot of work. And, while the numbers have been fluctuating a lot in the past 10 years, we have yet to see a consistent decrease in the number of domestic violence occurrences.
Each year, for a 24-hour period, the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) counts each adult and child who seeks help for domestic violence. This census gives us a snapshot, an idea of just how many domestic violence victims there are on a daily basis.
This survey has been conducted since 2006 and includes results through 2014. The figures below represent how many domestic violence victims sought assistance during each year’s one-day census period:
- 2006: 47,864
- 2007: 53,203
- 2008: 60,799
- 2009: 65,321
- 2010: 70,648
- 2011: 67,399
- 2012: 64,324
- 2013: 66,581
- 2014: 67,646
Bear in mind that in the United States, not all cases of domestic violence are reported. This makes it hard to come up with a truly accurate figure for the number of people who suffer domestic violence each year.
But these statistics and a variety of others do give us some insight as to just how difficult life under the grip of domestic violence can be. What follows are some shocking facts and stats about domestic violence:
- Domestic Violence is most common between the hours of 6 pm and 6 am.
- It is also the third leading cause of homelessness in the U.S.
- Young girls who witness domestic violence are more vulnerable to being abused in their adult lives, and young boys are 3-4 times more likely to become abusers themselves.
- 98% of domestic violence cases also involve financial abuse.
- After leaving her abusive partner, a woman is 70 times more likely to be murdered within the following two weeks.
- The involvement of a gun increases the likelihood of the incident ending in a homicide by 500%.
- Victims of domestic violence lose a combined 8 million days of paid work each year.
Putting an end to domestic violence will take a lot of work. Raising awareness and educating younger generations on good relationship practices is a great place to start.
The key, though, is to start a dialogue; to have a discussion on the truth about domestic violence, and actively look for ways to reduce the number of victims.
There are hundreds of resources for those who have experienced or think they may be currently experiencing some form of domestic violence. Some of the best are:
- National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV)
- National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV)
- National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV)
- Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV)
- The National Domestic Violence Hotline
The defense attorneys at Wolf Law LLC have been practicing criminal defense law for years. If you’ve been accused, charged, or a victim of domestic violence, we may be able to help.
Schedule a free consultation with us. We’ll sit down with you one-on-one to review your case and go over the available options. Call us at 720-479-8574 or contact us for more information.