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HOME / ARTICLES / Facts and Myths about Domestic Violence
Facts and Myths about Domestic Violence
Myth
95% of the domestic violence is by men against women
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Fact
The National Institute of Justice and the Center for Disease Control estimates that 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are the victims of domestic violence each year.
According to this NIJ/CDC National Violence Against Women Survey, 37% of the domestic violence is against men. 100% of the federal domestic violence funding under the Violence Against Women Act is to be used for domestic violence against women. 100% of the federal domestic violence research funds disbursed to several federal agencies is devoted to domestic violence by men against women.
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Myth
Domestic violence by women against men is not serious
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Fact
According to the NIJ/CDC National Violence Against Women Survey, 10.8% of the women but only 4.1% of the men used a knife on the victim. 21.6% of the male victims were threatened with a knife, while only 12.7% of the women were so threatened. 43.2% of the male victims were hit with a hard object capable of causing serious injury, while this was true of only 22.6% of the female victims. When all serious forms of domestic assault were added together, as many assaulted men as women were seriously assaulted.
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Myth
All or almost all domestic violence by women is in self-defense
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Fact
A survey Of 1,000 women, perhaps the largest survey of its kind, found that 20% had initiated violence. The most common reasons for women initiating domestic violence were: "My partner wasn't sensitive to my needs," (46%), "I wished to gain my partner's attention," (44%) and "My partner was not listening to me" (43%). "My partner was being verbally abusive to me" (38%) was a distant fourth.
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Myth
Domestic violence is a "hate crime" against women as women.
Domestic violence is socially-condoned oppression of women.
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Fact
Domestic violence is not a "hate crime" against women or socially-condoned oppression of women.
The myths are statements of ideology, not based on any scientific research. In fact, domestic violence is an issue of power and control in a relationship, and women can also be what Erin Pizzey, author of Prone to Violence, calls "family terrorists." In fact, domestic violence is committed by men and women with identifiable psychological pathologies, sometimes exacerbated by use of alcohol or drugs.
Domestic violence against women is not socially condoned. Men who do beat women typically feel shame and try to keep it a secret. Most men have little respect for a man who "beats his woman".
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Sources:
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Almost 40% of domestic violence is against men
Source: Tjaden, P. G., & Thoennes, N. (1998). Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women:
Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Research in Brief series, November, 1998. NCJ 172837.
Federal funding not to be used for male DV victims: Susan Hannibul, DV program manager for State of Washington/ Department of Health and Human Services, as reported by the WA State Office of Child and Family Ombudsman.
Federal funding for research: e-mail from Bernie Auchter, domestic violence research funding coordinator with NIJ. Phone call from Diane Johnson, domestic violence research funding coordinator with CDC.
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Domestic violence against men is as serious as DV against women
Source: Tjaden, P. G., & Thoennes, N. (1998). Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women:
Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Research in Brief series, November, 1998. NCJ 172837.
Data from NVAW Survey, Exhibit 8 analyzed at The Risk of Serious Physical Injury from Assault by a Woman Intimate: A Re-Examination
of National Violence Against Women Survey Data on Type of Assault by an Intimate.
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Most DV by women is not self-defense, but a reaction to his not paying attention or listening
Source: Fiebert. M. and Gonzalez, D. (1997). College Women Who Initiate Assaults on their Male Partners and the Reasons Offered for Such Behavior. Psychological Reports, 80, 583-590 (1997)
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Domestic violence is not a "hate crime" against women or socially-condoned oppression of women
Source: Dutton, D. (1994). Patriarchy and Wife Assault: The
ecological fallacy from Violence & Victims. 1994
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