Domestic Violence Fact 2

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Women who report violence in the home to the police substantially reduce their risk of being abused again.

Half the female victims of spousal abuse never report the assaults.

Between 1978 to 1982 at lease once a year 2.1 million women were victims of domestic violence.

Thirty-two percent of these women were abused again in six months.

Fourty-eight percent of women abused failed to notify the police.
Fourty-one percent of the women who failed to notify the police were assaulted again within six months. Fourty-nine percent of these women considered the assault a private matter. Twelve percent of the non-reporters fear future violence if they reported the assault.

When women did notify the police only 19 percent were abused again in six months.

One third of the women reporting domestic violence were victims of rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Two-thirds of the women reporting domestic violence were victims of simple assaults, with 42% of these simple assaults resulting in bodily harm.

In 1986 the state of Connecticut had laws on the books making arrest mandatory where domestic violence was suspected regardless of whether the purported victim is willing to sign a complaint.

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence believe 1 in 10 rape cases are reported and 1 in 100 domestic violence cases are reported. Women are unwilling to report abuse to anyone.

The Justice Department defined domestic violence as any rape, robbery, aggravated assault or simple assault committed against a married, divorced, or separated woman by a relative or person she knows well.

Source:
Information from National Crime Survey
Study of 128,000 people chosen randomly through 50 states
Justice Department