Domestic violence is characterized by abusive behavior intended to gain power and control over an intimate partner or family member. It can include physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological abuse. Witnessing domestic violence as a child is the strongest risk factor for continuing the cycle of violence as an adult. Resources for victims include national hotlines and local women's shelters that provide crisis intervention and long-term support services.

1. DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE

2. WHAT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
• Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior characterized by the intent to gain or maintain
power and control over an intimate partner or other family members. The abuse can be established
and intensified over time.
• Domestic violence is characterized by violent actions or threats of violent actions, including behaviors
that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure
or wound a partner
• The roots of domestic violence and other types of violent relationships are linked to power and control
• Domestic violence does not end immediately with separation. Over 70% of the women injured in
domestic violence cases are injured after separation.

3. • Physical: is any use of force that causes pain or injury, such as hitting , kicking , or slapping
• Sexual: Abuse can include sexual harassment, sexual assault or manipulating a person into having sex by
using guilt or threats
• Emotional/ Verbal: Constant criticism, threatening to hurt loved ones or harassment at school or in the
workplace
• Economic: Controlling a person’s income or financial assistance, misusing one’s credit or making it difficult
for a person to get or maintain a job
• Psychological: minimizing or blaming a person for the abuse, intimidating and/or threats destroying
property
Types of Domestic Violence

4. Domestic Violence Facts
• More than 1 in 3 women(35.6%) and more than 1 in 4 men ( 28.5%) in the U.S. having experienced rape, physical
violence, and and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime Source: National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 2010 Summary
Report. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention, Atlanta, GA, and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• 85% of domestic violence victims are women. (Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001, February 2003)
• Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the United States, more
than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. ("Violence Against Women, A Majority Staff Report," Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate,
102nd Congress, October 1992, p.3.)
• Police report that between 40% and 60% of the calls they receive, especially on the night shift, are domestic violence disputes. (Carrillo,
Roxann "Violence Against Women: An Obstacle to Development," Human Development Report, 1990)
• People with lower annual income (below $25K) are at a 3-times higher risk of intimate partner violence than people
with higher annual income (over $50K). (Bureau of Justice Statistics, Intimate Partner Violence in the U.S. 1993-2004, 2006.)
• Witnessing violence between one’s parents or caretakers is the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behavior
from one generation to the next. (Frieze, I.H., Browne, A. (1989) Violence in Marriage. In L.E. Ohlin & M. H. Tonry, Family Violence. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago
Press. Break the Cycle. (2006). Startling Statistics
• The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and
mental health services

5. CAUSES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
• The roots of domestic violence and other types of violent relationships are linked to power and control
• If one partner feels the need to dominate the other in any shape or form, whether it is physical, sexual,
emotional, economic, or psychological, then it is significantly more likely a relationship will turn violent.
• Abuse can be a learned behavior. An abuser may have witnessed domestic violence in his or her home and
understood that violence was a means of maintaining control in the family unit
• Significant life changes, such as pregnancy or a family member’s illness, can also increase the risk for
domestic violence to occur. In these cases the perpetrator may feel left out or neglected and may seek to
regain control
• Economic downturns can increase the incidents of domestic violence factors include: job loss, house
foreclosure, debt all can lead to higher stress levels at home which can then lead to violence
• Attempts to leave the abusive relationship can also place the survivor at greater risk for further abuse and in
some cases increase the likely hood of homicide many feel as though staying in the relationship can be safer
than attempting to leave

6. SIGNS YOUR IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP
• Prevents contact and communication with friends and family
• Controls money and important identification, such as driver’s licenses and passports
• Causes embarrassment with bad names and put-downs
• Critical about survivors appearance and/or behavior
• Attempts to control what partner wears
• Has unrealistic expectations, like partner being available at all times
• Threatens to take away or hurt the children
• Acts like abuse is not a big deal, or denies it’s happening
• Plays mind games to place blame on the survivor
• Destroys property or threatens to kill pets
• Intimidates with guns, knives or other weapons
• Shoves, slaps, chokes, hits or forces sexual acts
• Threatens to commit suicide

7. AFFECTS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
• It doesn’t matter how long a couple has been together, how successful one or both of the partners is or how loving
the relationship used to be, domestic violence can happen to anyone. It can span age, sexual orientation, religion
and gender, and affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels. It can happen in opposite-
sex and same-sex relationships and can happen to intimate partners who are married, living together, dating or
somehow estranged. A person does not have to be married to be experiencing domestic violence.
• Domestic violence also has a substantial effect on family members, especially children
• Each child is unique and may respond differently to the abuse, but there are common short and long-term effects
that can impact a child’s day-to-day functioning. Short-term effects can include academic and behavioral problems,
sleep disturbances and/or difficulty concentrating. Long-lasting effects can persist even after a child has grown up,
like difficulty trusting others and establishing relationships or ongoing depression.
• When children are involved a survivor may decide to stay for the sake of the children. It is common for a mother to
feel that it is more important for the children to continue having a father figure in their lives. However, continued
exposure to violence can place the children at a much greater risk of being abused themselves and/or experiencing
direct effects from the abuse. Also, if a person has a limited support system it may be frightening to break up the
family they do have and may also experience guilt about conceiving these thoughts.

8. RESOURCES FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
National resources
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 | www.thehotline.org
• National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline: 1-866-331-9474 | www.loveisrespect.org
• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
• www.ncadv.org/
• National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence
• Jane Doe Inc. | For Victims and Survivors of Domestic Violence
• www.janedoe.org/find_help/for_victims_and_survivors_of_domestic_violence
• Local Resources
Victim Resources - Gundersen Health System - La Crosse, Wisconsin
• www.lacrossecountycrimevictims.org/victim-resources
New Horizons:
• www.nhagainstabuse.org/

9. SOURCES CITED
• www.domesticshelters.org
• www.clarkprosecutor.org
• www.ncadv.org