Domestic Abuse Stats & Signs

• Call 911 and seek medical attention, if needed.
• Have a safety plan for you and your children in place.
  
  Help for Domestic Abuse is 1 (800) 799 – SAFE (7233) or www.thehotline.org

• Just listen. Listening can be one of the best ways to help. 
• Keep it confidential. Don’t tell other people what was said to you. If there is a direct threat of violence, tell her you both need to go to the authorities. 
• Provide information, not advice. Give out the Domestic Abuse hotline and any local organization hotlines and agencies you may know of. 

• Unexplained injuries or injuries that do not fit the explanations of how they occurred. 
• Inappropriate dress/excessive make-up
• Minimization and denial of harassment or injuries
• Sensitivity about home life or hints of trouble at home
• Unusual absence or lateness for work
• Sudden or sustained drop in productivity
• Unusual signs of anxiety or fear
• Frequent, upsetting phone calls, flowers, gifts at the workplace
• Isolation, unusual quietness, keeping away from others

On average, it takes someone 4-7 times of leaving an abusive relationship before they will leave for good. One of the most common questions people ask about victims of domestic violence is, “Why don’t they just leave?” People stay in abusive relationships for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to:

• The victim fears the abuser’s violent behavior will escalate if (s)he tries to leave.
• The abuser has threatened to kill the victim, the victim’s family, friends, pets, children and/or himself/herself.
• The victim loves his/her abuser and believes (s)he will change. • The victim believes abuse is a normal part of a relationship.
• The victim is financially dependent on the abuser. • The abuser has threatened to take the victim’s children away if (s)he leaves.
• The victim wants her/his children to have two parents.
• The victim’s religious and/or cultural beliefs preclude him/her from leaving.
• The victim has low self-esteem and believes (s)he is to blame for the abuse.
• The victim is embarrassed to let others know (s)he has been abused.
• The victim has nowhere to go if (s)he leaves.
• The victim fears retribution from the abuser’s friends and/or family.
  
  For more information, visit www.ncadv.org.

• In a single day in 2014, Michigan domestic abuse programs provided services to 2,492 victims/survivors. 
• While many went unreported, 103,331 incidents of domestic abuse were reported to Michigan State Police in 2009.
• Over half of domestic violence homicides in Michigan were committed with guns.
• An estimated 18.2% of Michigan women will experience stalking in their lifetime. 
• 1 in 3 women & 1 in 4 men in the United States have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.
  
• On a typical day, Domestic Violence hotlines receive approximately 21,000 calls. Approximately 15 calls every minute.
  
• Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crimes.
  
• The presence of a gun in the home during a Domestic Violence incident increases the risk of homicides by at least 500%.
  
• 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner. 94% of these crimes are female.
  
• Every 9 seconds in the United States a woman is beaten or assaulted.
  
•  1 in 5 women & 1 in 7 men have been severely, physically abused by an intimate partner. 
• Domestic abuse is most common between the ages 18-24.
• Only 34% of people who are injured by domestic violence receive medical care for their injuries.