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Domestic Violence Awareness Month |
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Domestic Violence Awareness Month | Statistics | What You Can Do
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month!
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 | In homes where domestic violence occurs, children are physically
abused and neglected at a rate 15 times higher than the national
average. Several studies have shown that in 60% to 75% of families in
which a woman is battered, children are also battered. In addition,
children living in households where domestic violence is occurring are
at a higher risk for sexual abuse. (Osofsky, J. The Impact of Violence
on Children. The
Future of Children: Domestic Violence and Children (1999)
9(3):33-49) |
| As many as 4 million women are
assaulted by spouses or partners each year, and 1,200 are killed.
("No Safe Haven",
July/August
2005 ) |
| Now police officers are telling women,
if you are in a custody battle and you don’t want to lose your kids,
don’t mention sexual abuse or domestic violence. (Sara Catania, "Breaking
the Silence, News: Taking away battered women's kids", July 1, 2005) |
| While in court during a custody
battle, the judge sees the abuser usually has the better job, owns the
house, has more money, and like all abusers, has a great talent to be
together and likeable. The woman is upset, emotional, she comes undone.
It’s like, wow, a crazy woman! (Sara Catania, "Breaking the Silence, News: Taking away battered women's kids", July 1, 2005) |
| 85-95% of all domestic violence victims are female. (American
Institute on Domestic Violence, 2001) |
| 79% of violent children have witnessed violence between their
parents. (Family Prevention Fund, 1991 "The Invisible Victim: Children
of the War At Home." Source quoted as Lewis, et al. 1983) |
| Violent juvenile delinquents are four times more likely than are
nonviolent juveniles to come from homes in which their fathers beat
their mothers. (Miller, J. (1989). "Violence By and Against America's
Children." Bureau of Juvenile Justice Digest. XVII (12), p.6.) |
| The average prison sentence of men who kill their women partners is
2 to 6 years. Women who kill their partners are sentenced on average to
15 years, despite the fact that most women who kill do so in
self-defense (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1989) |
| 90% of all family violence defendants are never prosecuted, and
one-third of the cases that would be considered felonies if committed by
strangers are filed as misdemeanors (a lesser crime). (News from U.S.
Senator Barbara Boxer, September 2, 1993) |
| If all occurring domestic violence were reported to the
police by women, one-third of the incidents would be classified as felony
rapes, robberies, or aggravated assaults and the remaining two-thirds
would be classified as simple assaults. (National Institute of Justice,
U.S. Department of Justice, 1990) |
| Police were more likely to respond within 5 minutes if the
offender was a stranger than if an offender was known to the female
victim. (Ronet Bachman Ph.D., U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice
Statistics, "Violence Against Women: A National Crime Victimization Survey
Report," January 1994, p. 9) |
| There are 1,500 shelters for battered women in the United States. There are 3,800 animal shelters. (Schneider, 1990) |
| At least one in three women globally
has been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in some other way-most
often by someone she knows, including her husband or another male family
member. |
| One woman in four has been abused during pregnancy. |
| The health-related costs of rape,
physical assault, stalking, and homicide by intimate partners exceed
$5.8 billion each year. |
| Of this total, nearly $4.1 billion is
for victims requiring direct medical and mental health care services. |
| Lost productivity and earnings due to
intimate partner violence accounts for almost $1.8 billion each year. |
| Intimate partner violence victims lose nearly 8.0 million days of paid work each year - the equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time jobs and nearly 5.6 million days of household productivity. |
| As many as 10 million children witness
domestic violence each year |
| 92% of women say that reducing
domestic violence and sexual assault should be at the top of any formal
efforts taken on behalf of women today |
| 37% of all women who sought care in
hospital emergency rooms for violence–related injuries were injured by a
current or former spouse or boyfriend |
| Violence against women costs companies $72.8 million annually due to lost productivity |
| In 2005, 143 women were killed by
their intimate partner in Texas, averaging more than 2 women each week
in the state. |
| In 2005, 187,811 family violence
incidents were reported and nearly 30,000 women and children received
emergency shelter in Texas. |
| The Health and Human Services
Commission estimates that only 10% of victims seek services. |
| In 2002, 74% of all Texans reported themselves, a family member and/or a friend have experienced some form of domestic violence. |
| Batterers between the ages of 20 and
24 accounted for the highest number of family violence incidents in
Texas in 2000, with the second highest being batterers between the ages
of 25 and 30. |
| The majority of victims of family
violence in Texas 2000 were between the ages of 20 and 24. |
| In 2000, there were more than 615
Texas law enforcement officers assaulted during the course of reported
family violence incidents. |
| The most common weapon involved in
family violence cases in 2000 in Texas was physical force through the
use of hands, feet, and fists. That accounted for 77 percent of the
incidents. |
| Of all the women killed in 1997 in Texas, 35% were murdered by their intimate male partners. This is higher than the national average of 28% reported by the FBI. |
| Become a sponsor! There are
several sponsorship opportunities still available. For a detailed
description of the different sponsorship levels, as well as to purchase
tickets or tables, please visit the event website at
www.freshspirit.org/legacyawards/. Of
course, monetary donations of any amount would be appreciated. Fresh
Spirit Wellness for Women, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization, which means
all donations are tax deductible. |
| Purchase an ad! Your
company could purchase an ad in the evening program book. For ad sizes
and pricing information please visit the event website at www.freshspirit.org/legacyawards/ |
| Donate to the silent auction!
Some auction item ideas are: pampering (salon and spa services), sports
items (autographed memorabilia, game tickets, etc.), travel destinations
(airline tickets, stays at hotels or resorts, etc.), jewelry, children's
items, restaurant or catering gift certificates, home decor or
improvement items (like artwork, landscaping, etc.), tickets to cultural
venues and events (museum memberships or passes to special museum
shows/events, theatre tickets, etc.). |
| Share this information! Please
share the information about both the Legacy Awards Gala and Fresh Spirit
Wellness for Women, Inc. with anyone you know that would be interested
in supporting this cause. The more people that know about the Legacy
Awards the better our chances for a hugely successful event. |
| Volunteer! We will need volunteers for the event (set up before, helping out during, "tearing down" after). |
For more information on the event, the awards, tickets and sponsorship information, click here
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