Domestic violence is a public health issue impacting families and communities everyday. Below are some facts and statistics to help illustrate the scope of this serious issue.
Notes:
- The published studies cited below rely heavily on reports of violence. Because survivors face numerous barriers to reporting harm or accessing services, actual incidents of domestic violence are likely much higher.
- Language below mirrors the language used in the source material.
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General Facts
- About 41% of women (4 out of 10) and 26% of men (3 out of 10) experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner and reported an intimate partner violence-related impact during their lifetime.1
- Over 61 million women and 53 million men have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime.1
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
- Each day in the U.S., 3 women are murdered by a current or former intimate partner.2
- It takes an average of 7 attempts for a survivor to leave their abuser and stay separated for good. Leaving is the most dangerous time in an abusive relationship.3
- In 2022, there were 25 domestic violence homicides in Massachusetts. As of October 2023, there have been 5 DV victim deaths in the state.4
- Data from U.S. crime reports suggest that about 1 in 5 homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner.1
Teen Dating Violence (TDV)
- About 16 million women and 11 million men who reported experiencing contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime said that they first experienced these forms of violence before the age of 18.1
- 1 in 3 teens will experience dating abuse before high school graduation.5
- Girls ages 16-24 are almost three times more likely to experience violent relationships than women of any other age.5
Survivors from Marginalized Communities
- 3 out of 4 advocates report that immigrant survivors fear accessing legal services related to their abuser.6
- More than half (54% or 5 out of 10) transgender and/or gender non-conforming folks experienced some form of intimate partner violence, including acts involving coercive control and physical harm.7
- 45% of Black women and 40% of Black men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.6
- People with disabilities experience higher rates of domestic violence and sexual assault than non-disabled people. Women with disabilities experience intimate partner violence at a rate 40% higher than non-disabled women and these acts of violence are more frequent and severe.8
Housing
- More than 50% of requests for services made by survivors in the US that cannot be met are for housing and safe shelter.9
- Among mothers with children experiencing homelessness, more than 80% had previously experienced domestic violence.10
- Between 22 and 57% of all homeless women report that domestic violence was the immediate cause of their homelessness.10
- 38% of all domestic violence victims become homeless at some point in their lives.10
Other Impacts
- The lifetime cost of intimate partner violence—including the costs of related health problems, lost productivity, and criminal justice costs—has been estimated at $103,767 for women and $23,414 for men.11
- Victims of financial abuse collectively lose a total of 8 million days of paid work each year.12
- More than 80% of survivors of intimate partner violence report that their abusive partners disrupted their ability to work.1
- Negative Health Outcomes associated with IPV:1
- Conditions affecting the heart, muscles, bones, digestive, reproductive, and nervous system, many of which are chronic.
- Mental health problems such as depression and PTSD symptoms
- A higher risk for engaging in behaviors such as smoking, binge drinking, and sexual risk activity
A 2014 study found that 20% of IPV-related homicide victims are family members, new intimate partners, friends, acquaintances, police officers, and/or strangers.13
Resources for Further Reading
The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) conducts an annual census documenting the number of individuals who sought services in a single 24-hour period, as well as the types of services requested, the number of service requests that went unmet due to a lack of resources, and the issues and barriers that domestic violence programs face as they strive to provide services to victims of domestic violence.
- For this year’s national data, click here.
- For Massachusetts-specific data, click here.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publish the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, an ongoing survey that presents data on the national prevalence of intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and stalking among women and men in the United States.
- The latest summary reports can be found here.
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) launched a report entitled ” Dreams Deferred: A Survey on the Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Survivors’ Education, Careers, and Economic Security”. Read more and download the report here.
Jane Doe Inc. (JDI), the Massachusetts coalition against domestic violence and sexual assault, keeps a list of the victims of domestic violence homicide across the state. JDI’s “Not One More” report on domestic violence homicide in Massachusetts can be found here.
The Violence Policy Center shares statistics and analysis about guns and domestic violence in their report, “When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2016 Homicide Data”.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) offers a quick fact page here.
The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (VAWnet) hosts an extensive online database with thousands of materials on gender based violence.
The National Resource Center On Domestic Violence And Firearms created a toolkit for providers that addresses the impact of firearms on domestic violence victim-survivors, particularly during periods of wide-spread crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bibliography
1 “Fast Facts: Preventing Intimate Partner Violence,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/fastfact.html
2 “Intimate Partner Violence: Attributes of Victimization, 1993-2011,” U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/ipvav9311.pdf
3 “When a friend won’t walk away from abuse,” Katie Ray-Jones, president of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Dating Abuse Helpline, for CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2013/01/10/living/friend-domestic-abuse
4 “Domestic Violence Homicides Detailed Lists,” Jane Doe Inc. https://www.janedoe.org/dvhomicides/
5 “Dating violence perpetration and victimization among U.S. adolescents: prevalence, patterns, and associations with health complaints and substance use,” Haynie DL, Farhat T, Brooks-Russell A, Wang J, Barbieri B, Iannotti RJ. J Adolesc Health 2013. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23664626/
6 “May 2019 Findings Immigrant Survivors Fear Reporting Violence,” Tahirih Justice Center. https://www.tahirih.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2019-Advocate-Survey-Final.pdf
7 “2015 U.S. Transgender Survey,” National Center for Transgender Equality. https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS%20Full%20Report%20-%20FINAL%201.6.17.pdf
8 “Survivors With Disabilities Facts,” YWCA. https://www.ywca.org/wp-content/uploads/Survivors-w-Disabilities-Fact-Sheet.pdf
9 “17th Annual Domestic Violence Counts Report National Summary,” National Network to End Domestic Violence. https://nnedv.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/17th-Annual-Domestic-Violence-Counts-Report-Nat-Summary.pdf
10 “The Need for Safe Housing,” Domestic Violence and Homelessness: Statistics (2016) Fact Sheet, Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofvps/fact-sheet/family-violence-prevention-and-services-act-program
11 “Dreams Deferred: A Survey on the Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Survivors’ Education, Careers, and Economic Security,” Institute for Women’s Policy Research. https://iwpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/C475_IWPR-Report-Dreams-Deferred.pdf
12 “Financial Abuse,” Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence. https://www.pcadv.org/financial-abuse/#:~:text=Financial%20abuse%20occurs%20in%2098,financial%20abuse%20as%20domestic%20violence
13 “Intimate Partner Homicide and Corollary Victims in 16 States: National Violent Death Reporting System, 2003-2009,” Smith, S G, Fowler, K A, and Niolon, P H, Am J Public Health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3953789/