Domestic Violence

In recent years, intimate partners have been responsible for 33 percent of all the female homicides recorded annually. (Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2003. Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice.)

In 2001, intimate partner violence made up 20 percent of all non-fatal violence against females age 12 or older. By contrast, intimate partners committed three percent of all non-fatal violence against men. (Ibid.)

Eighty-five percent of victimizations by intimate partners in 2001 were against women. (Ibid.)

Estimates of lifetime domestic violence among women receiving welfare range from 40 to 60 percent and current rates range from 8.5 percent to 41.4 percent. These numbers are two to three times larger than the national prevalence rates. Abusers often sabotage their victims' efforts to gain employment in order to hinder their opportunities to become more self-sufficient. (Coulter, Martha. 2004. The Impact of Domestic Violence on the Employment of Women on Welfare. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice.)

Five percent of workplace homicides (or one-third of all homicides not associated with robbery or stranger crimes) are the result of intimate partner violence. (Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2004. Workplace Violence: Issues in Response. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice.)

A recent study found that in states with laws restraining abusers from possessing firearms, intimate partner homicide rates decreased by nine to 12 percent. These laws were most effective when states cross checked restraining orders with firearm purchases. (Vigdor, E.; Mercy, J. 2003. “Disarming Batterers,” p. 157-214, J. Ludwig & P. Cook, Eds., Evaluating Gun Policy. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.)

A recent study found that 35.1 percent of perpetrators in intimate partner homicides and attempted homicides were drunk everyday during the year before the violent incident and 49.2 percent of the perpetrators were considered problem drinkers. (Sharpe, P. et al. “Risky Mix: Drinking, Drug Use and Homicide.” NIJ Journal. November 2003. Vol 250. 9-13.)

Thirty-one percent of the perpetrators in intimate partner homicides and attempted homicides used alcohol prior to the attack and 12.6 percent used other drugs. (Ibid.)

A recent study of adolescent mothers (age 18 or younger) investigated the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) during the first year after giving birth. Over 41 percent had reported being abused during the study period. Seventy-five percent of mothers who reported IPV during pregnancy also reported IPV within 24 months after delivery. Additionally, 78 percent who experienced IPV during the first three months after delivery had not reported IPV before delivery. (Harrykissoon, S. et al. “Prevalence and Patterns of Intimate Partner Violence Among Adolescent Mothers During the Postpartum Period.” Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2002: 156 (4).)

Each year, over 324,000 pregnant women are victims of intimate partner violence in the United States. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2002. Safe Motherhood: Promoting Health for Women Before, During and After Pregnancy, 2002. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)

Children under the age of 12 resided in 43 percent of the households in which domestic violence was reported between 1993 and 1998. (Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2000. Intimate Partner Violence. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice.)

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs' (NCAVP) data collection for same sex domestic violence in 2002 reported 5,092 incidents. Forty-two percent of the reported incidents involved females, 51 percent involved males, and the remainder were of unspecified gender. (Baum, R. and Moore, K. 2002. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Domestic Violence in 2002. New York, NY: National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.)

According to the NCAVP study, gay and bisexual men experienced abuse in intimate partner relationships at a two to five rate, which is comparable to rates of domestic violence experienced by heterosexual women. (Ibid.)

The National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS) – based on data from 1995-1996, representing the last large-scale survey of the extent of violence against women – estimates that during that time period, 1,500,000 women and 835,000 men in the United States were raped or physically assaulted by an intimate partner. (National Institute of Justice. 2000. Extent, Nature and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice.)

Because the number of victimizations far exceeds the number of victims, it is estimated that during the same time period, there were 4.8 million intimate partner rapes and physical assaults against women and 2.9 million intimate partner physical assaults against men. (Ibid.)

Among women who report having been raped, physically assaulted, or stalked since they were 18 years old, 60 percent were victimized by a husband, co-habiting partner, a boyfriend, or a date. (Ibid.)

More than 500,000 women had injuries requiring medical treatment that were inflicted upon them by intimate partners. (Ibid.)

A 2003 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on the NVAWS data, calculated the health-related costs of rape, physical assault, stalking and homicide by intimate partners to exceed $5.8 billion. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2003. Costs of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the United States. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)

More than 13.5 million total days were lost from job and household productivity due to intimate partner violence, equivalent to 47,339 person–years. (Ibid.)

Almost $4.1 billion was spent on direct medical and mental health care services in the United States as a result of intimate partner violence. (Ibid.)