Women

Between 1 and 4 million women are assaulted by an intimate partner each year. Domestic violence crosses ethnic, racial, generational, sexual orientation, religious and socioeconomic lines. Almost one in three women will experience at least one physical assault by their partner in their lifetime.

When left untreated, domestic violence:

• Is the single largest cause of injury to women in the United States, more common than automobile accidents, muggings and rapes combined
• Involves half of all adult women as victims, more than once
• Is responsible for more than one-third of all female murder victims
• Touches one-fourth of all American families

In addition, violence in the home affects our communities by perpetuating other negative actions such as alcoholism, drug addiction, juvenile delinquency, suicide and runaway children. The effect on our community is devastating and becomes a continuous cycle.

5 things you can do . . . if you think you are in an abusive relationship

1. Call a hotline. It can help you talk through your options with someone else.
2. Talk about your relationship with someone you trust, such as a friend, parent, other relative, and teacher.
3. Write in a private journal about how your relationship is making you feel.
4. Trust yourself. If you believe that something is not right in your relationship, it probably isn’t.
5. Take care of yourself. You have the right to be treated with respect. Its not your responsibility to stay in an abusive relationship to protect the other person. No one deserves to be abused.