Domestic
violence happens everywhere, in every community. It is verging on
epidemic proportions. Nearly one in three American women say they
have been physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend
at some point in their lives. Victims of domestic violence turn
to the criminal justice system for protection and vindication. While
a lot has been done to strengthen laws and educate federal and civil
judges on how to address domestic violence cases effectively, more
still needs to be done. One national program (The Family Violence
Prevention Fund) has established an Education Project to assist
courts' in improving such things as case handling in domestic violence
cases. The following characteristics of domestic violence has come
from their site:
The Family Violence Prevention
Fund.
CHARACTERISTICS
OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
There are five
key points to assist judges in domestic violence cases:
1.
Domestic violence is a learned behavior.
2. Domestic violence typically
involves repetitive behavior encompassing different types of abuse.
3. The batterer, not substance
abuse, the victim, or the relationship, causes domestic violence.
4. Danger to the victim and
children is likely to increase at the time of separation.
5. The victim's behavior is
often a way of ensuring survival.
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SOME STATISTICS:
· Experts estimate that
between 2000 and 4000 women are killed each year as a result of
domestic violence.
· There
are 3800 animal shelters in the United States while it is estimated
that there are about 1500 shelters for battered women.
· Domestic
Violence acounts for 1/4 of all violent crime.
· Children
who witness domestic violence are four times more likely to be arrested
in the future.
· One
in four women will experience domestic violence at some stage of
their lives.
· In
some states, 63% of the children in jail for murder are there for
the killing of an abusive parent.
· Seventy-five
percent of the women who are killed by an abusive partner are killed
after they leave or when they are attempting to leave the abusive
relationship.
· Children
who witness domestic violence are six times more likely to commit
suicide.
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SITES
FOR CURRENT NEWS ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:
The
Family Violence Prevention Fund
The
U.S. Department of Justice; Violence Against Women Office
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