Intimate Partner Violence

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 Intimate Partner Violence  

• The Whole Story of Domestic Violence
• Lt. Nick Vellis

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Definition

• Intimate partner violence (IPV), is defined
  as actual or threatened physical sexual violence,
  or psychological/emotional abuse by a spouse,
  ex-spouse, boyfriend/ girlfriend, ex-boyfriend/
  ex-girlfriend, or date.

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The Problem

• Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a substantial
  public health problem for Americans that has
  serious consequences and costs for individuals,
  families, communities, and society.

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Statistics and Fast Facts

• Approximately 1.5 million women and 834,700 men
  are raped and/or physically assaulted by an
  intimate partner annually
• About 25 of women and 8 of men reported being
  raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or
  former spouse, cohabiting partner or date at some
  time in their life

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Statistics and Fast Facts

• 39 of female victims of violence reported being
  injured
• Over 500,000 female victims used medical services
  as a result of violence related injuries
• 62 of these women were seen in emergency rooms
  

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Statistics and Fast Facts On average each year
from 1992 to 1996

• Nearly 1 million incidents of non-lethal IPV
  occurred
• 85 of victims were women
• Approximately 8 in 1,000 women and 1 in 1,000 men
  age 12 experienced a violent victimization
  perpetrated by a current or former spouse,
  boyfriend, or girlfriend

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Statistics and Fast Facts

• In 1996, women reported 840,000 violent, IPV
  incidents down from 1.1 million in 1993
• For years 1992-1993, 92 of rapes were committed
  by known assailants
• Friends or acquaintances commit about half of all
  sexual assaults against women 26 were intimate
  partners
• Approximately 12 per 1,000 black women
  experienced violence by an intimate partner,
  compared with about 8 per 1,000 for white women

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Statistics and Fast Facts

• In 1996 about 2,000 murders were attributed to
  intimate partners, down from 3,000 two decades
  earlier
• In 1996, husbands, ex-husbands, or boyfriends
  perpetrated 30 of all female murders
• 3 of all male murder victims were killed by
  wives, ex-wives, or girlfriends

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Stalking 

• 81 of women who were stalked by a current or
  former husband or a cohabitating partner were
  also physically assaulted by that partner
• 31 were also sexually assaulted by that partner.

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Health Consequences

• Women account for nearly 40 of all ER visits for
  violent victimization
• In 36 of all ER visits by women for violent
  victimization's, intimate partners were
  identified as the perpetrators.
• Women account for 84 of those treated for
  injuries by an intimate partner

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Health Consequences

• In one study of ED visits by women, over half of
  all women in the study had experienced IPV at
  some time in their lives, while 11 of those with
  current husbands or boyfriends gave IPV as the
  reason for the visit.
• As a consequence of severe intimate partner
  violence, female victims are more likely than
  male victims to need medical attention, take time
  off from work, spend more days in bed, and suffer
  more from stress and depression.

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Psychological consequences

• Psychological consequences for victims of
  intimate partner violence can include
• Depression
• Suicidal thoughts and attempts
• Lowered self-esteem
• Alcohol and other drug abuse
• Post-traumatic stress disorder

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Children

• Women whose children have been abused by a parent
  or other caretaker are at increased risk for IPV.
• Increased frequency of violence toward a spouse
  is associated with increased risk of the violent
  spouse(particularly a husband) also being abusive
  to the child.

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Children

• Each year more than ten million American children
  witness IPV within their families.
• Witnessing violence is stressful, and it is a
  risk factor for long-term physical and mental
  health problems such as alcohol and substance
  abuse, child abuse and IPV.

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Prevention What You Can Do?

• Contact local womens shelter
• Contact National Domestic Violence Hotline at
• 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
• Learn more about intimate partner violence
• Information is available in libraries, from local
  national domestic violence organizations and
  the Internet.
• Local law enforcement agency
• Community Victim Service providers

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Prevention What You Can Do?

• Do not be silent!
• Become educated
• and involved!