Washington State Divorce Attorney Shares Shocking Domestic Violence Statistics
Domestic violence is a pattern of intentional behavior meant to demean, control and exert power over an intimate partner. It plays out in various ways including intimidation, emotional and mental abuse, sexual assault, physical assault and battery, and sexual assault. The abuse can vary widely in frequency and severity; examples include hitting and pushing, isolating partner from others, withholding money, and stalking. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, on average 20 people per minute and more than 10 million people annually are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States.
Divorce and domestic violence statistics
Divorce often triggers domestic violence, in many cases because one person is left feeling powerless or betrayed. While women are more typically the victims of domestic violence, men also suffer from the abuse of an intimate partner. These national domestic violence statistics show the pervasiveness of the problem:
- One in five women and one in seven men are the victims of severe physical violence in a domestic violence situation over the course of their lives.
- One in seven women and one in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner in their lifetime to the point that they feared for their lives.
- On a typical day, United States domestic violence hotlines receive about 21,000 calls from battered and abused partners.
- Intimate partner violence represents 15 percent of all violent crime.
- The presence of a gun in the home during a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by at least 500 percent.
- Seventy-two percent of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; and 94 percent of the victims of these crimes are female.
Shocking domestic violence statistics in Washington State
A 2014 study of domestic violence in Washington State found the following shocking statistics:
- Intimate partners were responsible for almost 20 percent of aggravated assaults and more than 32 percent of simple assaults.
- Intimate partners carried out 41 percent of abductions across the state.
- Approximately 28.3 percent of women win Washington State will be stalked at some point in their lives.
- Over the course of year, 44 Washington residents were killed in domestic violence homicides.
- Almost 52 percent of Washington domestic violence femicides are committed with guns.
Seeking help for domestic violence
On one day alone in 2014, Washington State domestic violence programs served 1,930 victims/survivors and 549 were turned away because of a lack of resources. Information about shelters and alternatives to domestic violence is available from a statewide twenty-four-hour toll-free hotline at 800-799-7233. DVSAS is available to help battered women in Whatcom County. Please call 360-715-1563 to connect with a trained advocate who can help you develop a personal safety and healing plan.
Click here to read about how the laws in Washington State are designed to protect victims of domestic violence.
If you are going through a separation or divorce and are experiencing domestic violence, you have enough on your plate. Let an experienced Family Law attorney fight for your right to be safe. Call the caring, experienced Family Law attorneys at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today! We have been representing residents of Whatcom County since 1979.
