Here are a few facts about Domestic violence: four women die every day in the United States as a result of domestic violence. Every 15 seconds a women is battered or beaten by a husband or boyfriend. In addition, an average of 572,000 assaults by intimate partners are reported to federal officials every year. It is estimated that between 2.5 to 4 million assaults actually occur (U.S. Department of Justice, 1994). Gelles and Straus, 1988, study show half of all women will be hit at least once while married or in a long-term relationship, and in abusive relationships, women were victims of abuse 95 percent of the time and men, only 5 percent.
Abuse, Types of Relationships.
The reality, domestic violence can happen in any type of relationship: married, heterosexual, gay, lesbian, separated, and even dating. It may be surprising to know that one in four women in heterosexual marital relationships will be victims of abuse. Same sex battering mirrors heterosexual abuse both in type and prevalence (Barnes, 1998). It's victims receive fewer protections by authorities. Many battered gays or lesbians fight back to defend themselves. There is a myth that same sex abuse is mutual. Murphy's research found that between 50,00 and 100,000 lesbian women and as many as 500,000 .
gay men are victims of domestic violence each year. One study found that 22 to 67 percent of dating women experienced some type of violence in their relationship. In .
dating relationships, the types of violence most commonly reported were slapping, pushing and shoving. In committed relationships, 25 to 40 percent of both men and women display this type of behavior on occasion (O"Leary and Riggs, 1992; Straus, Gills & Steinmetz 1980). .
Warning Signs of Victims.
There are several potential cues that women may show as warning signs of abuse, such as wearing clothing that is not appropriate for the weather or season. The women may wear long sleeved shirts or scarves when it is obviously too warm, wearing sunglasses when unnecessary, suddenly canceling appointments for no reason, or continuous injury due to "clumsiness" or "accidents".
