Every nine seconds, someone is beaten (10). Domestic violence causes more injuries to woman ages 15-44 than car accidents, muggings, and rape combined (10). Battering is the single most frequent reason why women go to the emergency room (8), and nearly 1/3 of the women who seek care at the emergency room are there because of domestic violent injuries (10). Approxamently 2/3 of American wives have had some type of incident, including shoving, slapping, plate throwing, and hitting (10), and weapons are used in 30% of domestic violent incidents (3). Domestic violence is also an expensive problem as well.
Medical costs related to domestic violence are estimated at $100 million a year (16). The victims are not the only ones affected by domestic violence, children and fetuses are as well. 3.3 million children between the ages of 3 and 17 are exposed to domestic violence a year (11). 15-25% of pregnant women are battered (7) and according to the Surgeon General, 1992, battered women are more likely to suffer from miscarriages. One of my best friends witnessed her father beat her mother, and because the mother did not leave, my friend and her siblings were put in foster care.
Domestic violence does not just injure, it kills as well.
According to the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1998, in every five years, as many people die from domestic violence as those who died in Vietnam, and the Idaho’s Domestic Violence Handbook, 1998, states that every year there are over 4000 victims killed. The Bureau of Labor statistics, 1993, states that in 1992, approxemently 20% of women killed in the workplace were murdered by a husband or current or former boyfriend. More than twice as many women are killed by their husband or boyfriends than strangers (12), and according to the FBI, in 1994, 28% of the 4,739 women killed were slain by their boyfriend or husband.
Who exactly are the victims of domestic violence? According to the Idaho Domestic Violence Victims Handbook, 1998, 95% of the victims are women. Females are victims at a rate of three times that of a male (2). The average ages for female victims are 15-44. 33.5% hold professional occupations, 22% in clerical, and 16.7% are homemakers. 87.5% have some college education, 33% have a college degree, and 18.9% have a high school diploma or GED (18). 70% of the victims are white, 10.4% black, and 9.5% Hispanic (14)
Who are the offenders? 88% are male, and in that percentage, 61% are white, and the average age is 32 (14). It is the typical myth that only men beat on women, but women beat on men, men beat on men, and women beat on women (the men and women are gay and lesbians). Kellsey Grammer on a recent TV interview said that he is a victim of domestic violence. He is not the only one; Phil Hartman was recently killed by his wife while he was sleeping.
I surveyed 35 people, both male and female, to see if they had been a victim, or if they knew someone that is. Of the 35, 51.4% said that they were, and 48.6% said they were not. Of the 51.4%, 5.6% said that they were still in the relationship, and 94.4% said they were not. Of the 5.6% who still were, 100% said that they would like to get out, and would if there was help. Of the 94.4% that were out, when asked how they got out, this is how they responded:
45.1% said they moved out.
16.5% said that parents helped.
9.7% divorced
6.4% had the abuser arrested
3.2% said that either the abuser’s parents helped, friends helped, strangers helped, called the police, or the navy helped. >{?Kimmy (*) said that she was stalked, then left alone and Juanita (*) said that she had bought plane tickets for the whole family to go to New Hampshire, where her ex was from, then “lost” him in the airport. She put a note on his ticket telling him to never come back, or that she would kill him.
17.6% said that they had an order of protection, 64.7% said that they did not, and 17.7% said that they did at one time. 5.8% prosecuted, 89.4% did not, and 5.8% said that they tried to, but the prosecutor would not do it because of lack of evidence.
71.4% of the people surveyed said that they knew someone who was a victim of domestic violence, 28.6% said that they did not. Of the 71.4%, 44.4% said that the victim was a family member, 44.4% said a friend, 6.8% said that they see many through their job at a domestic violence coalitions, 2.2% said many family members, and 2.2% said many friends.
When asked if the victim was still in the relationship, 45.1% said yes, 48.4% said no, and 6.5% said that some of the victims that they know still are. Of the 45.1% that said yes, when asked if they would help the person get out, 73.3% said yes, 13.3% said no, and 6.7% said that the victim is fine now, and one person said “Hard question, how does one get involved in private relations?” (* Ashley). When asked if the victim want to get out, 33.3% said yes, 33.3% said no, 20% said that they do not know, 6.7% said some of the victims that they know wants to, and one person said, “not all, most want out, but still love the man.” (*Chris)
Of the 48.4% that said that the victim was no longer in the relationship, this is how the person got out:
27% moved out
19.2% said that parents helped
2.5% had help from friends
7.7% divorced
7.7% had the person arrested
and 4.7% said either, went to shelter, abuser committed herself to a mental hospital, church helped, called cops, abuser was forced to leave the state, or don’t know.
When asked if the victim prosecuted, 20% said yes, 68% said no, and 4% said that the victim tried to, the charges were dropped, and one said that the sheriff was on the abuser’s side. 38.5% said that the victim has a order of protection, 55.7% said no, and 3.8% said that they do not know if the victim does.
When asked if they feel if the laws are strong enough, 77.1% said no, that they are not, 8.6% said yes, 5.5% said that they do not know, and 2.8% said that they are getting stronger. Jennifer (*) said that is now a felony to rip a phone out of the wall during a 911 call in Idaho.
The warning signs that a person should look for in her/his spouse/ significant other that can indicate violent tendencies. The North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1998, says to look for the following:
There are four parts to the cycle of violence. The first is the incident, where the abuse occurs, then there is the period of reconciliation where the abuser apologizes and promises that it will not happen again, or denies that it happened. The abuser blames the victim, or says that it was not as bad as the victim said. After reconciliation, there is the calm period, where some of the promises are kept, the incident is “forgotten”, and the victim is hopeful. Then there is the tension building period, where tension builds, there are minor incidents, there is a breakdown of communication, and tension becomes unbearable. Then there is the incident and abuse again, and the cycle starts all over again. (5)
There are some other alarming statistics. In a 1993 national poll, 34% of the people polled have witnessed some type of domestic violence, while 19% saw muggings and robberies combined (6). 60% of men will batter at some point in their life (15). As many as one in four men, and one in six women think that under certain circumstances, it is appropriate for a husband to hit his wife. (5). The victimization rate of women separated from their husbands are three times higher than those divorced, and 25 times higher than those married (2).
In conclusion, domestic violence is a serious issue that faces millions of people a year. In order for the victimization rates to drop, there needs to be stronger laws, more help for the victims, and most importantly, everyone needs to be educated on this topic.
Works cited list
(1) Bureau of Justice Statistics, Highlights From 20 Years of Surveying Crime Victims. 1993: pg. 25.
Bureau of Justice Statistics.National Crime Victimization Study. August, 1995: pg. 4.
(3) Clause, P. and Ranel, M. “Special Report: Family Violence”. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Undated.
(4) Cornell, Claire and Gelles, Richard. Intimate Violence in Families. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publication, 1990: pg. 21
(5) Domestic Violence Handbook. http://www.domesticviolence.org. May, 1998.
(6) Family Violence Prevention Fund. “Men Beating Woman: Ending Domestic Violence, a Qualitative and Quantitative Study of Public Attitudes Against Women.” NY: Conducted by EDR associates. 1993.
(7)Flincraft, Anne and Starke, Evan. (No title). General Information Packet distributed by the National Government Against Domestic Violence. 1998: pg. 6.
(8) Furniss, Kathleen and Holtz, Howard. “The Health Care Providers Role in Domestic Violence.” Trends in Health Care, Law and Ethics. Vol. 8, No. 2, spring 1993: pg. 47.
(9) Glazer, Sarah. “Violence Against Woman.” CQ Resarcher. Congressional Quarterly Inc. Vol. 3, No. 8, Feburary, 1993: pg. 180.
(10) Idaho Domestic Violence Victims Handbook, 1998.
(11) Jaffer, Peter, Wilson, Susan Kaye, and Wolf, David. “Children Of Battered Woman”. 1990.
(12) Kellerman, Arther. “Men, Women, and Murder.” The Journal Of Trauma. July 17, 1992: pg. 1-5.
(13) Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence Handbook, 1998.
(14) Moewe, M.C. “the Hidden Violence: For Richer and Poorer.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram. April 5, 1992.
(15) “National Estimates and Facts About Domestic Violence and Abuse.” NCADV Voice. 1989: pg. 12.
(16) National Organization for Woman, Legal Defense, and Education Fund Newsletter. 1992: pg. 2.
(17) North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence information package, 1998.
(18) Oppel Jr., Richard. “Seizing Control Through Pain.” Fort Worth Star Telegram. April 5, 1992.
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