Domestic Violence - Crimes within the Home

What is domestic violence? It takes place when a family member, a domestic partner, or ex-partner physically or psychologically dominates and/or causes harm to another family member. Are you in a household where domestic violence is a daily occurrence?

Domestic violence is  referred to as domestic abuse, relationship violence, spousal abuse, family violence, and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) although these terms may have specific definitions in some jurisdictions.

In recent years, numerous cases of wife battering caught the attention of feminist groups and gave rise to public awareness on domestic violence. While most victims of domestic violence are women, men’s movement showcasing men as victims of domestic violence is also on the rise.

Domestic violence can happen in all cultures, races, ethnicities, economic classes, and religion with members of both sexes as possible victims. Moreover, both opposite-sex and same-sex relationships can suffer from domestic violence.

Domestic Violence - Multi-Faceted and Multi-Dimensional

Domestic violence comes in different forms: physical violence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, violent threats, and economic deprivation among others.

Aside from its many forms, there are also 3 dimensions that are taken into account when describing and evaluating domestic violence.

1. Mode: Identifies domestic violence as physical, emotional, psychological, and/or sexual.
2. Frequency: States if domestic violence happens on a continuous basis or as an on-and-off thing.
3. Severity: Distinguishes and rates physical and psychological abuse as mild, moderate, or severe. The most severe cases of domestic violence often results in homicide. Injuries from domestic violence are also classified as transitory or permanent.

Domestic Violence - Letting the Numbers Talk

• About 960,000 incidents of domestic violence happen every year.
• About 3 million women suffer from physical abuse from their husband or boyfriend annually.
• 1 in every 3 women has suffered from physical and/or sexual abuse at least once in her life.
• 30% of the US population knows a woman who has suffered domestic violence.
• Although considered a crime against women, 15% of the victims of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) cases in 2001 are made up of men.
• Intimate Partner Violence made up 20% of the total crimes against women and 3% of total crimes against men in 2001.
• Although women are less likely to be victims of violent crimes, studies show that they are 5 to 8 times more likely to suffer from domestic violence.
• About 324,000 women suffer from domestic violence during pregnancy every year.
• Regardless of race or ethnicity, women all over the world are similarly vulnerable to domestic violence.
• Domestic violence against women is more damaging than cases where men are the victims.
• Domestic violence cases have the highest growth rate of all domestic-related violations.
• It is estimated that women are about 7 to 14 times more likely to report domestic violence than men.
• An average of 3 women or more are killed by their husbands or boyfriends every day.
• Men who are in same-sex relationships are more likely to suffer from domestic violence than those in opposite-sex relationships.

Domestic Violence against Men

Unless substantial injuries have been incurred, men are generally more reluctant to report domestic violence in the relationship they are in. This accounts for the little data available for domestic violence against men although this doesn’t deny the fact it exists and is rampant in our present society.

Police data shows however that men who file complaints of domestic violence are co-habiting with another man, while only 7% of complainants are living with the opposite sex.

Domestic Violence against Children

Studies show that 40 to 60% of men and women who inflict some form of domestic violence to their partners also do so to their children. Moreover, children who come from physically abusive homes are also more likely to be sexually abused than children from non-abusive homes.

A look at the statistics of IPV can give one a good idea of how rampant domestic violence against children is in our present society.

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