Facts About Domestic Violence
Domestic violence happens to women of all ages, cultural and educational backgrounds and socioeconomic levels.
FBI statistics indicate that every nine seconds a woman is assaulted or beaten.
- Domestic violence is the number one cause of injury to women — more than auto accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. It is the leading cause of emergency room visits by women.
- Women are much more likely than men to be victim of abuse by a current or former partner
- Women are 85% of domestic violence victims
- 60% of battered women are beaten while they are pregnant.
- 67% of shelters saw an increase in women seeking assistance as a result of domestic violence
- About 3/4 of the persons who commit family violence are male.
- Children raised in violent homes are 74% more likely to commit assault.
- Boys who witness domestic violence are twice as likely to abuse their partners and children when they become adults.
- 52% of female murder victims are killed by their partners.
- 1 in 4 female suicides were victims of family violence.
- Since 1988, over 55 women have died as a result of domestic violence on St. Croix.