Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive and coercive behavior used to gain dominance, power, and control over an intimate partner. It includes the use of illegal and legal behaviors and tactics that undermine the victim’s sense of self, free will, and safety. Not all domestic violence is physical. It may also include sexual, emotional, economic (financial) or psychological. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone.
Abusive Behaviors
Physical Abuse: Hitting, slapping, shoving, grabbing, pinching, biting, hair pulling, etc are types of physical abuse. This type of abuse also includes denying a partner medical care or forcing alcohol and/or drug use upon him or her.
Sexual Abuse: Coercing or attempting to coerce any sexual contact or behavior without consent. Sexual abuse includes, but is certainly not limited to, marital rape, attacks on sexual parts of the body, forcing sex after physical violence has occurred, or treating one in a sexually demeaning manner.
Emotional Abuse: Undermining an individual’s sense of self-worth and/or self-esteem is abusive. This may include, but is not limited to constant criticism, diminishing one’s abilities, name-calling, or damaging one’s relationship with his or her children.
Economic Abuse: Is defined as making or attempting to make an individual financially dependent by maintaining total control over financial resources, withholding one’s access to money, or forbidding one’s attendance at school or employment.
Psychological Abuse: Elements of psychological abuse include – but are not limited to – causing fear by intimidation; threatening physical harm to self, partner, children, or partner’s family or friends; destruction of pets and property; and forcing isolation from family, friends, or school and/or work.
Source: www.justice.gov/domesticviolence
Teen Dating Violence
Unhealthy relationships can start early and last a lifetime. Teens often think some behaviors, like teasing and name calling, are a “normal” part of a relationship. However, these behaviors can become abusive and develop into more serious forms of violence. Dating violence can take place in person or electronically, such as repeated texting or posting sexual pictures of a partner online.
Dating violence is widespread with serious long-term and short-term effects. Many teens do not report it because they are afraid to tell friends and family. A 2011 CDC nationwide survey found that 23% of females and 14% of males who ever experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, first experienced some form of partner violence between 11 and 17 years of age.
Source: www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention
Local Statistics
- Statistically, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men have experienced domestic violence, while 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men have experienced sexual assault. (Avon NO MORE Study, 2013)
- In Kansas, one domestic violence incident occurred every 22 minutes and one domestic violence murder occurred every 19 days in 2016. (KBI, 2016)
- In 2016, 7,164 incidents of domestic violence were reported to Sedgwick County law enforcement agencies (KBI, 2016)
- The Wichita Police Department reported 6,711 incidents of domestic violence in 2016. (KBI, 2016)
- In 2016, there were 2,419 filings for protection orders in Sedgwick County. Sedgwick County consistently has significantly more protection order filings per capita than the rest of Kansas. (KBI, 2016)
