7 Facts About Domestic Violence

7 Facts About Domestic Violence

October 24, 2016

 

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Around the country, different groups put on various marches, races, auctions, and events to raise money and awareness in order to combat a growing problem. Here at the Florida Council, we come across instances of domestic violence due to the strong correlation between gambling addiction and domestic violence.

The sad reality is that an overwhelming majority of people have been personally touched by domestic violence, some maybe not even realizing it. Here are some facts taken from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

• On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.
• 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been victims of [some form of] physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime
• On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.
• 3 million women and 5.1 million men in the United States have been stalked in their lifetime. 60.8% of female stalking victims and 43.5% men reported being stalked by a current or former intimate partner.
• 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence
• Between 21-60% of victims of intimate partner violence lose their jobs due to reasons stemming from the abuse.
• 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these murder suicides are female.

There are things we all can do to help prevent domestic violence. Many actions also apply to addiction as well. The first thing we would encourage you to do is share resources and information. Problems that need community solutions, like domestic violence and addiction, need to be talked about in a public forum. Share content on social media, educate your children about the issues, and take action.

It all starts in the home. Promote healthy relationships and good boundaries in your home and local community. Invest time and energy into programs that make your community healthier.

Domestic violence is a major problem in America. In the addiction community, we see too often how addiction puts more people at risk. Last year, we produced a video about a woman who was the victim of domestic abuse. The abuser was her husband, who was suffering from a gambling addiction. The video has been viewed over 20,000 times on our YouTube page.

Moving forward, domestic violence isn’t a problem for just the abusers and victims, it’s a problem for all of us. With that being said, we all need to do our part (however small it may seem) to be part of the solution.

If gambling is a problem for you or someone you love, give our helpline a call 888-ADMIT-IT. We can connect you with a variety of free resources that can help you.