·        Every 12 seconds a woman is beaten by her partner

·        52% of female murder victims are killed by their partners

·        More than half of Americans know someone who has been involved in a violent relationship, either as a victim or as an abuser.

·        Domestic violence is the number one cause of emergency room visits by women

·        Children from violent homes are 74% more likely to commit assault.

·        More than half the children who witness their fathers beating their mothers become batterers or victims of abuse themselves

THE IMPACT OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON CHILDREN

•Reports by battered mothers show that 87% of children witness the abuse.

•Children who grow up in homes where violence is present are 6 times more likely to commit suicide

•70% of men who abuse their female partners also abuse their children.

•Child abuse, whether by fathers or mothers, is likely to diminish once the battered mother is able to gain access to safety services and achieve separation from the violent father.

•Children who grow up in homes where there is violence are 24 times more likely to be sexually assaulted.

•As violence against women becomes more severe and more frequent in the home, children experience a 300% increase in physical violence by the male batterer.

•15% to 25% of pregnant women are battered.

•Domestic violence is the largest single cause of birth defects in children.

•Children who grow up in homes where there is violence are 1,000 times more likely to become abusers themselves.

•Children whose lives are disrupted by moves to escape domestic violence lose considerable school time and are often unable to enroll in new school districts.