Domestic Violence

Estimates from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) indicate that in 1998, about 1 million violent crimes were committed against persons by their current or former spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends. (Rennison, C. et al. May 2000. "Intimate Partner Violence." Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, NCJ 178247. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.)

About 85% of intimate victimizations by intimate partners in 1998, or 876,340 victimizations, were against women. (Ibid.)

Between 1993 and 1998, children under the age of twelve resided in 43% of the households where intimate partner violence occurred. (Ibid.)

Intimate partner violence made up 22% of violent crime against women between 1993 and 1998. By contrast, during this period intimate partners committed 3% of the violence against men. (Ibid.)

The percentage of female murder victims killed by intimate partners has remained at about 30% since 1976. (Ibid.)

Considered by age category, from 1993-98, women ages sixteen to twenty-four experienced the highest per capita rates of intimate violence, 19.6 per 1,000 women. (Ibid.)

Overall, blacks were victimized by intimate partners at significantly higher rates than persons of any other race between 1993 and 1998. Black females experienced intimate partner violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white females, and about 2.5 times the rate of women of other races. (Ibid.)

Between 1993 and 1998, almost two-thirds of intimate partner violence against women, and about half of all intimate partner violence against men, occurred in the victims' homes. Intimate partner violence occurred most often between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. (Ibid.)

About half of all victims of intimate partner violence between 1993 and 1998 reported the violence to law enforcement authorities. (Ibid.)

Though the percentages of male and female victims of intimate partner violence who were physically attacked were similar, the outcomes were different. Fifty percent of female victims of intimate partner violence were injured by an intimate partner versus 32% of male victims. (Ibid.)

In 1999, 67% of black women reported intimate partner violence to the police, while 50% of white women reported intimate partner violence. (Rennison, C. August 2000. Criminal Victimization 1999, Changes 1998-99 with Trends 1993-99. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.)

Data from the National Violence Against Women Survey indicate that violence against women is predominantly intimate partner violence. Of the women who reported being raped and/or physically assaulted since the age of eighteen, three-quarters were victimized by a current or former husband, cohabiting partner, date, or boyfriend. (National Institute of Justice and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1998. Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings From the National Violence Against Women Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, 12.)