OVER 38,000,000 WOMEN
The number of women in the United States who have experienced domestic violence in their lifetime. 

 

OVER 5,000,000 WOMEN
The number of women in the United States who experience domestic violence every year.

 

OVER 18,000 WOMEN KILLED
The number of women in the United States who have been killed by men in domestic violence disputes since 2003.

According to a 2017 report, 1 in 3 women have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner; 1 in 7 women have been injured by an intimate partner; 1 in 7 women have been stalked; 1 in 5 women are raped during their lifetime; and on a typical day the domestic violence hotlines receive over 20,000 calls. 

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GENERAL FACTS

On average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States — more than 12 million women and men over the course of a year.

Nearly 3 in 10 women (29%) and 1 in 10 men (10%) in the US have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by a partner and report a related impact on their< functioning.

Nearly, 15% of women (14.8%) and 4% of men have been injured as a result of IPV that included rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

1 in 4 women (24.3%) and 1 in 7 men (13.8%) aged 18 and older in the United States have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

IPV alone affects more than 12 million people each year.

More than 1 in 3 women (35.6%) and more than 1 in 4 men (28.5%) in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

Nearly half of all women and men in the United States have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime (48.4% and 48.8%, respectively).

Females ages 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 generally experienced the highest rates of intimate partner violence.

From 1994 to 2010, about 4 in 5 victims of intimate partner violence were female.

Most female victims of intimate partner violence were previously victimized by the same offender, including 77% of females ages 18 to 24, 76% of females ages 25 to 34, and 81% of females ages 35 to 49

 

1 in 3 FEMALE HOMICIDES
1 in 3 female homicide victims every year are murdered by their current or former partner.

 

3 MURDERS A DAY
An average of 3 women are murdered every day in the United States by a current or former ex-male partner. 

 

EVERY 9 SECONDS
A woman is beaten in the United States.

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SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLAIMS
83% of sexual harassment claims are filed by women, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

 

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE
Nearly 33% of women killed in U.S. workplaces between 2003-2008 were killed by a current or former intimate partner.
 

A survey of American employees found that 44% of full-time employed adults personally experienced domestic violence’s effect in their workplaces, and 21% identified themselves as victims of intimate partner violence.

 

64% of the respondents in a 2005 survey who identified themselves as victims of domestic violence indicated that their ability to work was affected by the violence. More than half of domestic violence victims (57%) said they were distracted, almost half (45%) feared getting discovered, and two in five were afraid of their intimate partner’s unexpected visit (either by phone or in person).

 

Nearly two in three corporate executives (63%) say that domestic violence is a major problem in our society and more than half (55%) cite its harmful impact on productivity in their companies.

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Nine in ten employees (91%) say that domestic violence has a negative impact on their company’s bottom line. Just 43% of corporate executives agree. Seven in ten corporate executives (71%) do not perceive domestic violence as a major issue at their company.

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More than 70% of United States workplaces do not have a formal program or policy that addresses workplace violence.

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Nearly 8 million days of paid work each year is lost due to domestic violence issues – the equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time jobs.

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96% of domestic violence victims who are employed experience problems at work due to abuse.

 

OVER 1,700,000 A YEAR
incidents of sexual abuse are reported in the workplace. An unknown number of sexual abuse incidents are never reported.

 

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE = OTHER PROBLEMS
In addition to injustices sustained during violent episodes, physical and psychological abuse is linked to a number of adverse physical and mental health effects. Women who have been abused are much more likely to suffer from chronic pain, diabetes, depression, unintended pregnancies, substance abuse and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS

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SEXUAL VIOLENCE

Nearly 1 in 5 women (18.3%) and 1 in 71 men (1.4%) have been raped in their lifetime (by any perpetrator).

Nearly 1 in 10 women in the United States (9.4%) have been raped by an intimate partner in her lifetime.

81% of women who experienced rape, stalking, or physical violence by an intimate partner reported significant short- or long-term impacts such as post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and injury.

35% of men report such impacts of their experiences.
More than half (51.1%) of female victims of rape reported being raped by an intimate partner and 40.8% by an acquaintance.

For male victims, more than half (52.4%) reported being raped by an acquaintance, and 15.1% by a stranger.

An estimated 13% of women and 6% of men have experienced sexual coercion in their lifetime (i.e. unwanted sexual penetration after being pressured in a nonphysical way). 27.2% of women and 11.7% of men have experienced unwanted sexual contact (by any perpetrator).

 

ASSAULTS REPORTED
Only 25% of physical assaults against women are reported to police each year.

RISK OF MURDER

A women is 70 TIMES more likely to be murdered in the few weeks after leaving her abusive partner than at any other time in the relationship, establishing the critical need for secure emergency shelter.

PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER

56% of women who experience domestic violence are diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder.

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE

29% of women who experience domestic violence attempt suicide.

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DEPRESSION

37% of women who experience domestic violence have symptoms of depression.

 

ANXIETY DISORDERS

46% of women who experience domestic violence have symptoms of anxiety disorders.

 

POST TRAUMATIC STRESS

45% of women who experience domestic violence experience post traumatic stress disorder.

HOSPITAL EMERGENCY CARE 

37% of all women who seek care in hospital emergency rooms for violence related injuries were injured by a current of former intimate partner.

SAME SEX RELATIONSHIPS

Studies show 50% of women in a relationship with another woman will experience domestic violence in their lifetimes (not necessarily from their partners). 

GIRLS 14 TO 17 

Girls ages 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend.

YOUNG WOMEN 16 TO 24

Young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of non-fatal partner violence.

COLLEGE WOMEN 

Of college women who have said they had been the victims of rape or attempted rape - 12.8% of completed rapes, 35% of attempted rapes, and 22.9% of threatened rapes took place on a date. Almost 60% of the completed rapes that occurred on campus took place in the victim's residence.

WOMEN UNDER 30 

Many victims of sexual assault are women under the age of 30.

WOMEN LIVING IN RURAL COMMUNITIES 

Women living in rural communities who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence or stalking, face unique circumstances because of geographical isolation, lack of public transportation, difficulty in ensuring confidentiality in small communities, and decreased access to many resources such as advanced education, job opportunities, and adequate childcare.

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SCREENING BY HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS 

Recent research suggests that women experiencing domestic violence significantly increase their safety - promoting behaviors over the short and long term when health care providers screen for, identify, and provide follow up care and information to address the violence.

 

BUT ONLY 1 OUT OF 10 

Currently only about 10% of primary care physicians routinely screen for intimate partner abuse during new patient visits and 9% routinely screen for intimate partner abuse during periodic checkups.

 

PREGNANT WOMEN 

Recent clinical studies have proven the effectiveness of a 2 minute screening for early detection of abuse of pregnant women. Additional longitudinal studies have tested a 10 minute intervention that has proven highly effective in increasing the safety of pregnant abused women.

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UP TO 80% OF WOMEN PATIENTS 

80% of the patients studied reported that they would like their healthcare providers to ask them privately about intimate partner violence.

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OVER 325,000 PREGNANT WOMEN 

Each year about 325,000 pregnant women in the U.S. are battered by the men in their lives. The battery leads to complications of pregnancy, including low weight gain, anemia, infections, and first and second trimester bleeding.

 

VIOLENCE DURING PREGNANCY 

Intimate partner violence is the leading cause of female homicide and injury related deaths during pregnancy.

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STALKING

One in 6 women (16.2%) and 1 in 19 men (5.2%) in the United States have experienced stalking victimization at some point during their lifetime in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed (by any perpetrator).

Two-thirds (66.2%) of female victims of stalking were stalked by a current or former intimate partner.

Men were primarily stalked by an intimate partner or acquaintance (41.4% and 40%, respectively).

Repeatedly receiving unwanted telephone calls, voice, or text messages was the most commonly experienced stalking tactic for both female and male victims of stalking (78.8% for women and 75.9% for men).

An estimated 10.7% of women and 2.1% of men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime.

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ranks rape second in the hierarchy of violent crimes, trailing only murder.

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Additional statistics:

 

• 1 out of 6 women in the United States have been the victim of an attempted of completed rape.

• in 8 out of 10 rape cases, the victim knows the perpetrator.

• research suggests that sexual assault victims who receive counseling support are more likely to report their attack to the police and to participate in the prosecution of the offender.

• 40 to 45% of women in a physically abusive relationship are raped or assaulted during the relationship.

• Over 1,000,000 Women in the U.S. are victims of stalking every year.

• 1 in 12 Women in the U.S. will be 'stalked' in their lifetime.

• 1.8. years is the average duration of 'stalking'.

• 81 % of women 'stalked' by a current or former intimate partner are also physically assaulted by that person.

• 77% of women know their 'stalker'.

• 59% of women are who are stalked, are stalked by an intimate partner.

• 31% of women stalked by a current of former intimate partner, are also sexually assaulted by partner.

• 13% of college women report being stalked.

• Women with disabilities are 40% more likely to be the victims of abuse and violence because of their increased physical, economic, social, and psychological dependence on other.

• An estimated 500,000 to 600,000 women and children are the victims of 'trafficking' every year across international borders for the sole purpose of exploitation (sexual or forced).

• 92% OF ALL WOMEN SAID THAT FIGHTING DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE SHOULD BE A TOP PUBLIC POLICY PRIORITY (a higher percentage than any other issue)