Nearly one-third of American women report physical or sexual
abuse by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. In
2001 more than half a million American women were victims of
non-fatal violence committed by an intimate partner. On average,
more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends
in this country every day. In 2000, some 1,247 women in the United
States were killed by an intimate partner.
Pregnant and recently pregnant women are more likely to be
victims of homicide than to die of any other cause, and evidence
exists that a significant proportion of all female homicide
victims are killed by their intimate partners.
Studies suggest that 3-10 million children witness some form
of domestic violence annually. A 1998 study found that slightly
more than half of female victims of intimate violence live in
households with children under age 12. Children who witness
domestic violence are more likely to exhibit behavioral and
physical health problems including depression, anxiety and
violence toward peers. They are also more likely to attempt
suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away from home, engage in
teenage prostitution and commit sexual assault crimes.
The U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse suggests that domestic
violence may be the single major precursor to child abuse and
neglect fatalities in this country.
In a national survey of more than 6,000 American families, 50
percent of the men who frequently assaulted their wives also
frequently abused their children. Source: Family Violence
Prevention Fund (www.fvpf.org
)
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