Domestic Violence Statistics

Intimate Partner Violence

  • 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been a victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner. (NISVS, 2010)
  • Around 48% of both men and women have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner. (NISVS, 2010)
  • An estimated 36.2 million women have been slapped, pushed or shoved by an intimate partner at some point in her lives. (NISVS, 2010)
  • 75% of intimate partner violence victims between the ages of 18 and 49 reported multiple abuse incidents by the same perpetrator.
  • 81% of intimate partner victims report significant long-term impacts of abuse including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and physical injuries. (NISVS, 2010)

Reproductive Coercion

  • Approximately 10.3 million women in the United States reported having an intimate partner try to get them pregnant when they did not want to, or refused to use a condom during intercourse. (NISVS, 2010)
  • One study of teen mothers on public assistance, found that 2/3 of mothers experiencing intimate partner violence, had also experienced birth control sabotage at the hands of their dating partner. (Futures Without Violence, 2008)
  • 15% of young women who experienced forced sex report having an STD as compared with just 7% of young women who have not experienced forced sex. (Futures Without Violence, 2008)
  • 40% of pregnant women who have been exposed to abuse, report that their pregnancy was unintended, compared to just 8% of non-abused women. (Futures Without Violence, 2008)
  • Homicide is the second leading cause of death for pregnant and recently pregnant women in the U.S., accounting for 31% of maternal injury deaths. (Futures Without Violence, 20

Sexual Violence

  • Nearly 1 in 5 women have been raped in their lifetimes. (NSVRC, 2011)
  • On average, almost 500 women (483) are raped or sexually assaulted each day in the United States. (Futures Without Violence, 2008)
  • Approximately 75.5% of 2010 Kansas rape offenders were known by their victims (KBI, 2010).
  • Male rape victims and male victims of non-contact unwanted sexual experiences reported predominantly male perpetrators. (NISVS, 2010)
  • Nearly 1 in 2 female victims of sexual violence reported perpetration by an acquaintance. (NISVS, 2010)
  • 52.4% of male victims report being raped by an acquaintance. (NSVRC, 2011)
  • 98.1 % of female rape victims reported only male perpetrators. (NISVS, 2010)
  • Each rape costs approximately $151,423. (NSVRC, 2011)

Stalking

  • 1 in 6 women and 1 in 19 men have experienced stalking victimization during their lifetime in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be killed. (NISVS, 2010)
  • 66.2% of female stalking victims were stalked by a current or former intimate partner. (NISVS, 2010)
  • 18.3% of female stalking victims were stalked before age 18. (NISVS, 2010)
  • 2/3 of stalkers pursue their victims at least once per week, many daily, using more than one method. (Stalking Resource Center, 2012)
  • Almost 1/3 of stalkers have stalked before. (Stalking Resource Center, 2012)
  • Repeatedly receiving unwanted telephone calls, voice, or text messages was the most commonly experienced stalking tactic for both female and male victims of stalking (78% for women and 75.9% for men). (NISVS, 2010)

Teen Dating Violence

  • Among adult victims of rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner, 22.4% of women and 15.0% of men first experienced some form of partner violence between 11 and 17 years of age. (NISVS, 2011)
  • 41% of female child sexual violence victims did not complete high school. (PCAR, 2007)
  • 1 in 3 adolescents tested for sexually transmitted infections and HIV have experienced domestic violence. (Futures Without Violence, 2008)
  • 35.2% of women who reported a completed rape before age 18, also experienced a completed rape as an adult. (NISVS, 2010)
  • Nearly 10% of high school students report being hit, slapped, or physically hurt by their boyfriend or girlfriend. (CDC, 2011)

Violence Against People with Disabilities

  • In 2007, persons with disabilities were victims of about 47,000 rapes, 114,000 aggravated assaults, and 476,000 simple assaults. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007)
  • The age-adjusted rate for persons with disabilities experiencing rape or sexual assault is more than twice the rate for persons without disabilities. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007)
  • 60% of rape or sexual assault victims in the National Crime Victimization Survey, had more than one disability. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007)
  • In 2007, persons with cognitive disabilities reported the higher rates of rape and sexual assault than any other type of disability surveyed including physical disabilities, sensory disabilities, and self-care disabilities. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007)
  • Intimate partners were responsible for 16% of nonfatal violence against females and 5% against males with disabilities. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2007)

Violence and Immigrant Women

  • In one study, 62% of immigrant women reported that they were subjected to weekly physical and emotional abuse. (Ayuda, 2011)
  • 1/5 of female immigrant victims reported that their spouses use threats of deportation, of not filing immigration papers, or withdrawing papers as a power and control tactic in their relationships. (Ayuda, 2011)
  • Immigrant women report exceptionally high rates of sexual assault during their first two years in the United States. (JWI, 2010)
  • When their spouse is a United States citizen, abuse rates rise to 59.5% for immigrant women. (JWI, 2010)
  • 18% of the United States population is immigrant or foreign-born but less than 1% of reported sexual assaults are against foreign-born women.(National Violence Against Women Survey)

Violence and Poverty

  • 45% of domestic violence survivors in one study reported experiencing financial difficulties including not being able to pay their bills. (NCRDV, 2010)
  • 13% of homeless adults in the cities surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors were victims of domestic violence. (A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in American Cities, 2011)
  • In a 2008, 99% of domestic violence victims surveyed had experienced at least one form of economic abuse. (VAWnet, 2008)
  • 92% of a sample of homeless mothers had experienced severe physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lives. (PCAR, 2007)
  • Studies of welfare caseloads find that as much as 23% of women receiving public assistance are current or past victims of domestic violence.(VAWnet, 2001)
  • 27.5% of “street youth” and 9.5% of “shelter youth” engaged in survival sex (selling sex for shelter, food, drugs, or money). (PCAR, 2007)
  • 50% of sexual assault victims lost their jobs or were forced to quit after being raped. (PCAR, 2007)