Here are some common myths and facts about domestic abuse.
MYTH 1
Domestic violence does not affect many people.
FACT
* A woman is beaten every 15 seconds. (Bureau of Justice
Statistics, Report to the nation on Crime and Justice. The Data.
Washington DC Office of Justice Program, US Dept. of Justice.
Oct 1983)
* Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women
between ages 15 and 44 in the united States - more than car
accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. (Uniform Crime
Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1991)
* Battered women are more likely to suffer miscarriages and to
give birth to babies with low birth weights. (Surgeon General,
United States, 1992)
MYTH 2
Battering is only a momentary loss of temper.
FACT
* Battering is the establishment of control and fear in a
relationship through violence and other forms of abuse. The
batterer uses acts of violence and a series of behaviors, including
intimidation, threats, psychological abuse, isolation, etc. to coerce
and to control the other person. The violence may not happen
often, but it remains as a hidden (and constant) terrorizing factor.
(Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1990)
* "One in five women victimized by their spouses or ex-spouses
report they had been victimized over and over again by the same
person." (The Basics of Batterer Treatment, Common Purpose,
Inc., Jamaica Plain, MA)
MYTH 3
Domestic violence only occurs in poor, urban areas.
FACT
* Women of all cultures, races, occupations, income levels, and
ages are battered - by husbands, boyfriends, lovers and partners.
(Surgeon General Antonia Novello, as quoted in Domestic
Violence: Battered Women, publication of the Reference
Department of the Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge, MA)
* "Approximately one-third of the men counseled (for battering)
at Emerge are professional men who are well respected in their
jobs and their communities. these have included doctors,
psychologists, lawyers, ministers, and business executives. (For
Shelter and Beyond, Massachusetts Coalition of Battered Women
Service Groups, Boston, MA 1990)
MYTH 4
Domestic violence is just a push, slap or punch - it does not
produce serious injuries.
FACT
* Battered women are often severely injured - 22 to 35 percent of
women who visit medical emergency rooms are there for injuries
related to ongoing partner abuse. (David Adams, "Identifying the
Assaultive Husband in Court: You be the Judge." Boston Bar
Journal, 33-4, July/August 1989)
* One in four pregnant women have a history of partner violence.
(Journal of the American Medical Association, 1992)
MYTH 5
It is easy for battered women to leave their abuser.
FACT
* Women who leave their batterers are at a 75% greater risk of
being killed by the batterer than those who stay. (Barbara Hart,
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1988)
* Nationally, 50 percent of all homeless women and children are
on the streets because of violence in the home. (Senator Joseph
Biden, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Violence Against
Women: Victims of the System, 1991)
* There are nearly three times as many animal shelters in the
United States as there are shelters for battered women and their
children. (Senate Judiciary Hearings, Violence Against Women
Act, 1990)
From "Domestic Violence: The Facts" - A Handbook to STOP
violence, Battered Women Fighting Back, Boston,MA.