Every 15 seconds a woman is battered in the United States by her husband, boyfriend, or live-in-partner.  Domestic Violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 to 44, more common than automobile accidents, muggings and rapes combined according to findings by the former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop.  Other research has found that half of all women will experience some form of violence from their partners during marriage, and that one-third are battered repeatedly every year.  Although official estimates of domestic violence rely largely on FBI, police and emergency reports, many women also report domestic violence to friends, relatives, churches, synagogues, physicians and nurses.  These sources of information are not included in national crime surveys.  In addition, most reports do not show the number of violent incidents experienced by battered women and their children.  Hence statistics do not accurately reflect the amount of violence experienced in intimate relations and in the home.

Have you or someone you know ever experienced the following by a boy friend, husband or intimate partner?

Ø      Name-calling or put-downs

 Ø      Isolation from family or friends

Ø      Withholding money

Ø      Actual of threatened physical harm

Ø      Sexual assaults

 These are examples of domestic violence, which includes partner violence, family violence, spouse abuse, battering, and wife beating.  This violence takes many forms, and can happen once in a while or all the time.  Although each situation is different, there are common warning signs or “red flag” behaviors to look for.  Although the wife, girlfriend or lover is the primary target, violence is often directed toward children as well, and sometimes toward family members, friends, and even bystanders in attempts to control their partner.  Approximately 95 percent of the victims of domestic violence are women.  However, violence also happens in gay and lesbian relationships, and, in a small number of cases, by women against men.