Did You Know?

• Nearly one third of American women (31%) report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their life. Commonwealth Fund survey, 1998.
• Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44, more common than automobile accidents, muggings and cancer deaths combined. Journal of the American Medical Association, 1990.
• It is estimated that 503,485 women are stalked by an intimate partner each year in the United States. National Institute of Justice, July 2000.
• 1,247 women and 440 men were killed by an intimate partner in 2000. This equals four deaths a day due to domestic violence. Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, February 2003.
• While women are less likely than men to be victims of violent crimes overall, women are 5 to 8 times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner. U.S. Department of Justice, 1998.
• The prevalence of domestic violence among Gay and Lesbian couples is approximately 25 - 33%. Barnes, 'It's Just a Quarrel', American Bar Association Journal, February 1998, p. 25.
• Each year, between 50,000 and 100,000 Lesbian women and as many as 500,000 Gay men are battered. Murphy, Queer Justice: Equal Protection for Victims of Same-Sex Domestic Violence, 30 Val. U. L. Rev. 335 (1995).