October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Below material submitted by Olmsted County Public Health from their In Good Health newsletter. Let them hear from you! Drop them a line on how you use this information or visit them on the web. Additional information on healthy living can be found at Steps to a Healthier MN.
Domestic violence and emotional abuse are behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control the other. Partners may be married or not married; heterosexual, gay or lesbian; living together, separated or dating. Violence can be criminal and includes physical assault (hitting, pushing, shoving, etc.), sexual abuse, and stalking. Although emotional, psychological and financial abuse are not criminal behaviors, they are forms of abuse and can lead to criminal violence.
Anyone can be a victim. Victims can be of any age, sex, race, culture, religion, education, employment or marital status. Although both men and women can be abused, most victims are women. Children in homes where there is domestic violence are more likely to be abused and/or neglected. Most children in these homes know about the violence. Even if a child is not physically harmed, they may have emotional and behavior problems.
Facts about domestic violence:
- Every year, as many as 4 million American women are physically abused by men who promised to love them. (Family Violence Prevention Fund, 1999)
- Each year more than ten million children witness domestic violence. (Family Violence Prevention Fund, 1999)
- Sixty percent (60%) of female homicide victims were wives or intimate acquaintances of their killers. (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1998 Supplementary Homicide Report)
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health-related costs of rape, physical assault, stalking, and homicide committed by intimate partners exceed $5.8 billion each year
Additional resources on domestic violence can be found at:
Source: www.domesticviolence.org
