Myths

• Myth 1

  Domestic Violence is rare and only affects a small percentage of the population.

• Myth #2

  Relationship violence doesn’t happen in my community, my neighborhood, my culture, my religion, or my congregation.

• Myth #3

  It’s easy for victims of relationship violence to leave their abusers. If they don’t, they must not want to leave.

• Myth #4

  Relationship violence is a personal matter. Outsiders shouldn’t get involved.

• Myth #5

  Only women are victims of relationship violence.

Facts

• Fact #1

  In the U.S, an average of 20 people experience relationship violence every 60 seconds. That means that each year, more than 10 million people are victims of relationship violence. According to a report published by the CDC in 2017, homicide is one of the leading causes of death for women 44 and younger, and homicides occur in women of all ages and among all races/ethnicities, but young, racial/ethnic minority women are disproportionately affected.

• Fact #2

  Relationship violence happens everywhere, to all kinds of people. People of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic statuses are affected by relationship violence.

• Fact #3

  Fear, lack of safe options, and inability to survive economically prevent many women from leaving abusive relationships. Threats of harm, including death to the victim and/ or children, keep many battered women trapped in abusive situations. The most dangerous time for a battered woman is when she attempts to leave the relationship, or when the abuser discovers that she has made plans to leave.

• Fact #4

  Victims of relationship violence need help, and an outsider’s reluctance to reach out or get involved can result in extreme harm to the victim. It’s easy to feel uncomfortable with getting involved because we don’t want to invade someone’s privacy or we just don’t want to be nosy, but the best thing you can do as an ally to the victim is to intervene and say something. It could save a victim’s life.

• Fact #5

  Although women are statistically more likely to experience relationship violence from a male partner (the U.S Department of Human Services estimates that 1 in 4 women will experience it severely in their lifetime), men are affected by relationship violence too. 1 in 7 men, according to the U.S Department of Human Services, will experience severe relationship violence in their lifetime. The issue of relationship violence as it affects men is not only underrepresented in the media, but reported numbers are likely much higher than we can currently track, as men are much less likely to report instances of their abuse.

Sources