Scary Numbers Tell a Painful Story

Between 1 million and 4 million women are assaulted by a husband, domestic partner, boyfriend, or other intimate each year, depending on the source of statistics.

A total of 28 percent of all annual violence against women is perpetrated by intimates. About 90 to 95 percent of domestic violence victims are women. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1994)

A total of 70 percent of intimate homicide victims are female. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1994)

About 5 percent of all annual violence against men is perpetrated by intimates. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1994)

Domestic violence is statistically consistent across racial and ethnic boundaries. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1995)

Women ages 19 to 29 report more violence by intimates than any other age group (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1995)

Domestic violence occurs in about 25 to 33 percent of gay and lesbian couples. (American Bar Association Journal, Feb. 1998)

Between one- and two-thirds of all welfare recipients reported having suffered domestic violence at some point in their adult lives. A total of 15 to 32 percent reported current victimization. (Raphael & Tolman, Trapped by Poverty, Trapped by Abuse, 1997)

Each year in the United States, about 3.3 million children are exposed to domestic violence against their mothers or female caretakers. (American Psychological Association, 1996)

In homes where partner abuse occurs, children are 1,500 times more likely to be abused. (Department of Justice, 1993)

Female victims of violence are 2.5 times as likely to be injured when the violence is committed by an intimate than when committed by a stranger. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1995)

Out of all emergency room visitors, 17 percent are documented as having come as a result of being injured by an intimate. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1997)

Only about one-seventh of all domestic assaults come to the attention of police. (Florida Mortality Review Project, 1997)

More than 17 percent of domestic homicide victims had a protection order against the perpetrator at the time of the killing. (Florida Mortality Review Project, 1997)—Diane Boudreau