Did you know?....

• 1 in 3 women have been victims of domestic violence at some point during their lives. Journal of American Medical Association, 2001

• On average, more than 3 women are murdered by their intimate partners in the United States every day.  The United States Department of Justice, 2001 

• Each day in the United States, more than 3 children die as a result of abuse at home.    The United States Department of Health and Human Services, 2001

• As many as 10 million children witness domestic violence each year in the U.S.  Texas Council on Family Violence, 2003

• A child’s exposure to the father abusing the mother is the strongest risk factor for transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next. The American Psychological Association, 1996

• 1 in 5 high school aged girls will be physically and/or sexually abused in a dating relationship, increasing the likelihood that the girl will abuse drugs and/or alcohol, develop an eating disorder, consider and/or attempt suicide, engage in risky behavior and/or become pregnant.  The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001 

• Over 324,000 pregnant women are involved in abusive relationships each year. The Maternal and Child Health Journal, 2000

• An abuser’s unemployment, access to guns and threats of deadly violence are the strongest warning signs of female homicide in abusive relationships.  The American Journal of Public Health, 2003

• The health-related costs of rape, physical assault, stalking and homicide committed by intimate partners is more than $5.8 billion each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003