What is domestic violence?

When you live in fear of your partner, you will have to admit you have a problem. Domestic violence takes on many forms, but always includes intimidation, threats or violent behavior in order to obtain power or control over another person. If you feel that you have been a victim of domestic violence or have been accused or arrested for domestic violence, here in the greater Sacramento area please contact one of our dedicated Sacramento Domestic Violence Attorneys right now!

Domestic Violence is abuse by a caregiver, parent, spouse or intimate party. It is also known as battery, partner abuse, spousal abuse and is a worldwide emergency which will affect 20-50% of females. In the United States alone, one out of every four American women will experience domestic violence by a partner close to her. One out of every six women will be raped sometime in her life. This crime can also affect a child. Remember abuse happens to people of all races, ages, incomes and religions.

Different Forms of Domestic Violence

Abuse often begins with name-calling, threats, or throwing objects. It can become worse with slapping, punching, kicking, choking, or holding the victim against their will and not allowing them to talk to outside people.

Types of Abuse

Physical – battering or hitting that may include bruising, broken bones, internal bleeding, and death. Abuse starts with minor contact and increases into more violent actions.

Abuse starts with minor contact and increases into more violent actions.

Sexual - accompanies or follows physical battering, and usually results in rape.

Psychological or Emotional - an abuser uses words, threats, harassment, control, forced isolation, or destroys belongings. Isolation is when the abuser controls a victim's contact with others. Abusers may accomplish this by taking away the car keys or locking the victim in the home.

Stalking - repeated threatening behavior; usually leads to physical or sexual abuse.

Economic - when the abuser controls the victim's time, transportation, food, clothing, shelter, insurance, and money.

Is Domestic Violence always a crime against woman?

A study done by the United States Department of Justice indicates that women are mostly the victims of intimate partner violence.

81% of women who were stalked by a partner were also physically assaulted by the same partner. 31% of these women were sexually assaulted.

The victims are 85% women and 15% men. The statistics show that women are 5 to 8 times more likely to be victimized in this kind of situation.

Most of domestic violence is committed by men.

Consequences for victims are depression, possible suicide attempts, low self-esteem, turning to alcohol and/or drugs.

Facts

The age range of women most likely to be assaulted by an intimate partner is 15 to 44.

Generally, this can happen to any age.

It affects those with any level of income or education.

In the age group of 20 to 24 African-American women experience more domestic violence than White women.

Hispanic women are less likely to be victimized than any other women in any age group.

Women who are separated from their intimate partner have a bigger chance of domestic violence, followed by those that are divorced. Sometimes this discourages women from leaving their abusive partner because there are so many risks involved.

You must remember that victims who are hurt by their partners or parents, or caregivers, did not cause the abuse.

Alcohol and drugs do not cause abuse but their presence can make matters worse.

Abuse can happen during pregnancy.

Injuries

There are between 40-50% of females that are physically injured when this crime happens. This accounts for over 200,000 visits to emergency rooms every year.

Unfortunately, only about 1 in every 5 victims will seek medical treatment.

Physical injuries include bruises and/or broken bones.

A victim could suffer emotionally from depression, anxiety, threats, criticism, put-downs or being isolated and without family and friends.

Murder

74% of women and 26% of men are murdered by their intimate partner.

More than four women are murdered every day from domestic violence.

There has been a decrease in the number of men murdered by intimate partners, possibly due to shelters which provide battered women with options other than killing an abusive partner.

What can be done?

You must realize when battering or abuse is happening. You must look for warning signs, such as extreme jealousy, being possessive, a bad temper, cruelty to animals. You must make sure you and your children are safe. Go to a family or friend, but if there aren’t any, go to a shelter and take your children with you. If you are afraid to leave, call the police or someone else who can help. If you can, take anything that is important, such as money and your keys. Shelters will help you file court papers.

Getting Help


Contact a local women’s shelter of call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE. They will give you helpful information and advice. If you are in an abusive relationship, it is a good idea to have a plan, just in case needed.

If an argument starts, find a safe place to go into and make sure there is an exit in the room. Avoid rooms with potential dangers such as a kitchen (knives).

Have a contact name to call and a code word to use to advise family and friends that you are in trouble.

Memorize important phone numbers.

Always have emergency money.

Keep social security card, birth certificates, marriage license, checkbook, charge cards, bank statements, health insurance cards, and records of any abuse that includes photographs and police reports in a safe place.

 

Few Reports to the Police

Only about half of all incidents are reported to the police and most of them are made by African-American women.

Women don’t want to make reports because some believe it is a private matter between her and her partner or they think the abuser will hurt them more or they just don’t think the police will help them.

Even with the above facts, about half of violent crime calls to the police department are domestic violence calls.

Police Response          

The quality of police response has been questioned.

Only about one-third will the police take photographs or ask if there has been prior abuse.

Less than 20% of victims were asked about a restraining order and about 83% were not given any printed helpful information.

Police are required to make an arrest if there is probable cause.

If the police arrest both parties, it is hard to show who was initially responsible for the attack and who was fighting in self-defense.

The officer should get a history of the domestic violence between the two parties, including any threats that have taken place.

If there are children involved, this can be quite devastating.

 


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