Every minute almost 20 people around the world are physically assaulted by their partner; in the US this equals more than 10 million people a day. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men have experienced extreme physical violence by their partner, and severe impacts such as injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, contraction of sexually transmitted disease, and use of victim services. 1 in 7 women and 1 in 25 men could have been injured by their intimate partner. Domestic violence can happen to anyone, especially those you think have the most perfect relationships.
Domestic violence, also known as intimate partner violence, could be defined as a pattern in any relationship and can contain physical, psychological, sexual, emotional, economic, or threats that influence another person; Which include behaviors that manipulate, intimidate, frighten, terrorize, humiliate, injure, blame, or wound someone. All people regardless of sexual orientation, gender, race, and age can be victims of Domestic Violence.
Physical signs to look for to know someone is being abused by their partner include bruised arms, busted lips, black eyes, or red and purple marks in the neck area. Emotional signs to look for are changes in their sleep pattern, lowered self-esteem, loss of interest in activities, and talk of suicide. Remember to pay attention to your friends and always look for signs of domestic abuse.
1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced a form of physical violence, which can include a range of behaviors like pushing, slapping, and shoving. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of several physical violence like burning, beating, and strangulation.
It’s a common misconception that men can’t be physically or emotionally abused, but it is more common than one might think. While women are typically abused more than men, 751,000 men in the U.S. experience intimate partner violence, and 1.38 women.
When the violence starts, the victims in said violent relationships often don’t end up reporting it because they do not want to believe that their intimate partner is physically abusing them. It can be compared to finding out your partner is cheating on you because you would never want to believe that the person you’ve been committing to is cheating on you. Sometimes they often don’t report it because they do not have a way out of the violent relationship.
If you or anyone you know are being physically abused please immediately call the Domestic Violence hotline at 800-799-7233 or text BEGIN to 88788 and please take Domestic Violence seriously.
