Stats
(According to the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Standards)
- 28% of all marriages in the US experience domestic violence. (One in Four)
- 50% of these cases reported rape involved.
- 95% of domestic violence victims are women.
- 6 million women are battered each year by their partner (one in every 12 – 15 seconds!)
- It is the leading cause of emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
- 33% of cases solved of women murdered, the murderer was an intimate partner.
- 54,000 women killed every 5 years by relatives or acquaintances – the same as the number of American soldiers killed in the Vietnam War!
- 75% of men who abuse women also abuse their children. They are too often the silent victims of domestic violence, their voices often never heard because of untimely death.
- 87% of children witness the abuse of others of their family (usually their mothers). This could be an important factor in a life given to crime.
- 90% of men in jail were abused as a child.
- 75% of men who abuse will abuse children.
- 45% of households where domestic violence occurs, house children under 12
- 63% of all incarcerated juveniles (boys between 11 and 20) are there because they protected their mothers.
- There are many more statistics we can share concerning how abuse affects families and children.
Facts
- Domestic Violence (DV) affects all races and genders. (65% are African-American and Hispanic.)
- DV is higher among the poor and disadvantaged.
- DV affects Christian households the same as non-Christian. However, the cost to Christianity (destruction to the body of Christ) cannot be measured.
- DV is the leading cause of birth defects and infant deaths.
- Children will often fall asleep in school from having spent the night witnessing abuse and disruption in the home. All too often, they have also been the victim.
- These children often run away from home as soon as they are old enough.
- The fastest growing segment of our society is women and children who are fleeing domestic violence and the resulting homelessness.
- Women who are victims often cannot hold a job outside the home.
- Abusers may control/possess the car keys.
- The perpetrator often makes the spouse or child feel they deserve to be violated.
- Perpetrator’s often hold control over money and allow only certain items to be purchased.
- Feelings of worthlessness pervades every area of the victim’s life and is very difficult to overcome.
- Children often do not recognize that their home is abusive until they have been exposed to balanced and godly homes.
- Women too often endure years of abuse before realizing this is not a normal life.
When reviewing these statistics there are several considerations as well as methodology that is important in understanding the gravity each depicts. A report by the National Crime Victimization Survey explains that data regarding criminal victimizations is collected from a continuous nationally representative sample of households in the United States. Data is also gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation using the Uniform Crime Reporting Program .
Even with the careful federally regulated reporting, all crimes are not recorded. Most crimes involving domestic violence occur between 6pm and 6am in the victim’s home. The fact that it is ini the home is also a notable consideration. Most women and/or children do not want to report the crime out of fear of re-victimization, shame, or ignorance of police involvement or assistance services. This re-emphasizes the need for leaders to familiarize themselves with local police procedures and state law.
It is a problem that we do not know the whole horrible picture of domestic violence even with the regulation of data. A more accurate picture is given when we choose to see these statistics as underscoring a much more severe problem, an epidemic that exists in America and in the world. An epidemic to which the Church and the believer has the solution.
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
(John 10:10 NLT)
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