Nearly 2 in 3 female victims of violence were related to or intimate with their attacker.
Over two-thirds of violent victimizations against women are committed by someone they know. Less than 31% of victims say their attacker was a stranger. In contrast, less than 5% of violent victimization of men are made by someone the victim knows. Only a small percentage of this amount is victimized by a family member or intimate partner.
Compared to women attacked by strangers, Women who are attacked by a boyfriend, husband, or partner are six times LESS likely to report to police, usually because they fear reprisal by the abuser.
Annually, compared to males, women experience over 10 times as many incidents of violence by an intimate.
Battered women seek medical attention for injuries sustained as a consequence of domestic violence significantly more often after separation than during co-habitation. Severity of violence escalates as a woman leaves. About 75% of emergency room visits for injuries related to battering occur AFTER SEPARATION.
75% of emergency calls AND calls to domestic violence help lines occur after separation. This reflects a)women still in relationships may not be able to reach out for help and b)the severity of incidents radically increases after she leaves.
The first battered women’s shelter in the United States opened in 1974 in Duluth Minnesota. It remains open to this day.
There are 1,221 shelters for battered women in the United States. There are more than 3,800 animal shelters.
Each year, medical expenses from domestic violence total at least $3 to $5 billion. Businesses forfeit another $100 million in lost wages, sick leave, absenteeism and non-productivity.
It is estimated by MN employee assistance providers that 25% of workplace problems such as absenteeism, lower productivity, turnover and excessive use of medical benefits are due to family violence.
Violence is the reason stated for divorce in 22% of middle class marriages.
These statistics are gathered from NAACDV, the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, EAP Digest, and the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services. The number of women seeking help or reporting domestic violence has steadily increased since the early 1970s; this doesn’t necessarily reflect an increase in violence, but in awareness and availability of supportive services. It is still assumed that many women do not seek professional or paraprofessional help for domestic violence. Unfortunately, those who come into contact with survivors and are best able to help (clergy, school workers, employers) are usually not trained for awareness of domestic violence. In many cases, these professionals or paraprofessionals can aggravate the situation for the women, advising her to ‘work harder’ on the relationship, asking or insinuating that she’s done something to ‘provoke’ his anger, sympathize with the abuser’s past, addictions, or other mental health issues and excusing the abuse, or suggesting couple’s counseling. 
Most women will first seek help not from the police or a battered women’s program but from a family doctor, employee assistance program, employer, or clergy. Many women, not finding support through these venues, remain in a dangerous situation and do not seek further help until the situation has escalated.
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