www.daytondailynews.com Of course, I'd heard about domestic abuse—everybody has. But the headline in today's BBC news grabbed me. The UK government is accused of turning its back on victims of domestic violence.
I've heard this fact before, but not really taken the information in: one in every four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. On average about seven women and two men are killed by their current or former partner every month in England and Wales, whereas in the US it happens to three women every day.
Campaigners in the UK have called the death rate a "scandal". Too often, victims' appeals for help are met with apathy, disbelief and even hostility by police.
At the moment, the UK government is using community resolutions to handle domestic violence cases. With this method, police resolve low-level or minor offenses by getting the parties involved to agree, instead of going through the court system.
Community resolutions are aimed at first-time offenders. After the victim's views have been taken into account this method can be used where the abuser has admitted guilt.
I've heard this fact before, but not really taken the information in: one in every four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. On average about seven women and two men are killed by their current or former partner every month in England and Wales, whereas in the US it happens to three women every day.
Campaigners in the UK have called the death rate a "scandal". Too often, victims' appeals for help are met with apathy, disbelief and even hostility by police.
At the moment, the UK government is using community resolutions to handle domestic violence cases. With this method, police resolve low-level or minor offenses by getting the parties involved to agree, instead of going through the court system.
Community resolutions are aimed at first-time offenders. After the victim's views have been taken into account this method can be used where the abuser has admitted guilt.
www.theguardian.com It's an extraordinarily brave step for women to report abuse by their partners to the police. They need to know they have the full weight of the law to support them.
According to the charity Women's Aid, women don't call and ask for help until they've experienced violence over five times, sometimes up to 30 times. Spokespeople for the charity stress that weak punishments will not deter these serial perpetrators.
Here are some Domestic Violence Statistics from the USA.
According to the charity Women's Aid, women don't call and ask for help until they've experienced violence over five times, sometimes up to 30 times. Spokespeople for the charity stress that weak punishments will not deter these serial perpetrators.
Here are some Domestic Violence Statistics from the USA.
Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten.
Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Most often, the abuser is a member of her own family.
Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women—more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.
Studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually.
Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a breakup.
Everyday in the US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends.
Ninety-two percent of women surveyed listed reducing domestic violence and sexual assault as their top concern.
Domestic violence victims lose nearly 8 million days of paid work per year in the US alone—the equivalent of 32,000 full-time jobs.
Based on reports from 10 countries, between 55 percent and 95 percent of women who had been physically abused by their partners had never contacted non-governmental organizations, shelters, or the police for help.
The costs of intimate partner violence in the US alone exceed $5.8 billion per year: $4.1 billion are for direct medical and health care services, while productivity losses account for nearly $1.8 billion.
Men who as children witnessed their parents’ domestic violence were twice as likely to abuse their own wives than sons of nonviolent parents.
Let's not forget mental abuse, which is almost as serious for the woman involved. In my novel
Still Rock Water, Liliha escapes from mental abuse to establish a new life on the other side of the world. Let's say I write from experience. Still Rock Water is a coming-of-age fantasy of a mother who wears a star moonstone ring.
And here's an eye-opening fact: There are 1,500 shelters for battered women in the United States. Compare that to 3,800 animal shelters. That's three times as many offers of help for animals than for women.
Just think, ¼ of the women you meet on the street suffer in silence, too ashamed to let anyone know.
Still Rock Water, Liliha escapes from mental abuse to establish a new life on the other side of the world. Let's say I write from experience. Still Rock Water is a coming-of-age fantasy of a mother who wears a star moonstone ring.
And here's an eye-opening fact: There are 1,500 shelters for battered women in the United States. Compare that to 3,800 animal shelters. That's three times as many offers of help for animals than for women.
Just think, ¼ of the women you meet on the street suffer in silence, too ashamed to let anyone know.
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