DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: EFFECTS ON THE COMMUNITY

When someone is abused, it affects everyone. Our families suffer the consequences as husbands and wives are torn apart. Children suffer through witnessing the violence and negativity. Our health care system is left to pay for many of the injuries. Co-workers lose time at work to attend court proceedings. In summary, the entire community feels the indirect ramifications of domestic abuse.

Did you know that domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the United States? Almost one-third of female homicide victims that are reported in police records are killed by an intimate partner. One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.

• Intimate partner violence results in more than 18.5 million mental health care visits each year.

• The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion dollars each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health services.

• Victims of intimate partner violence lost almost 8 million days of paid work because of violence perpetrated against them by their current or former husbands, boyfriends and dates. This loss is the equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time jobs.

• There are 16,800 homicides and 2.2 million (medically treated) injuries due to intimate partner violence annually, at the cost of $37 billion.

• Police report that between 40% and 60% of the calls they receive, especially on the night shift, are domestic violence disputes.

• Many battered women have to forgo financial security during divorce proceedings or separation from an intimate partner. This may result in the victim seeking out financial aid from government agencies.

• Children who witness the battering of their mothers demonstrate significant behavioral and/or emotional problems, which results in impaired performance in school.
  
  

Domestic violence is an epidemic affecting individuals in every community, regardless of age, economic status, race, religion, nationality, and educational background. Domestic violence results in physical injury, psychological trauma, and sometimes death. The physical injuries may heal, however the emotional scars, can impact victims for a lifetime.