Physical Battering - The abuser’s physical attacks or aggressive behavior can range from bruising to murder. It often begins with what is excused as trivial contacts which escalate into more frequent and serious attacks.
	Sexual Abuse - Physical attack by the abuser is often accompanied by, or culminates in, sexual violence wherein the woman is forced to have sexual intercourse with her abuser or take part in unwanted sexual activity.
	Psychological Battering -The abuser’s psychological or mental violence can include constant verbal abuse, harassment, excessive possessiveness, isolating the woman from friends and family, deprivation of physical and economic resources, and destruction of personal property.

	More than 50% of child abductions result from domestic violence. (Geoffery Grief & Rebecca Hagar,"Abduction of Children By Their Parents: A Survey of the Problem," Social Work, 1991)
	Approximately 1 out of every 25 elderly persons is victimized annually. (Candace Heisler, Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 1991) 22 to 35% of women who visit emergency rooms are there for injuries related to on-going abuse. (Journal of the American Medical Association, 1990) Up to 50% of all homeless women and children in this country are fleeing domestic violence. (Elizabeth Schneider, Legal Reform Efforts for Battered Women, 1990) 5 to 25% of pregnant women are battered. (Evan Stark & Anne Flitcraft, 1992)
	One out of every four gay couples (25%) experiences domestic violence in their relationship. That’s approximately the same rate as heterosexual couples. (Family Violence Prevention Fund, 1996) A study of violence among dating couples of high school age found that 12% had experienced abuse in one of their relationships. (Nona O’ Keefe, Karen Brockoff, Esther Chew, "Teen Dating Violence," Social Work, November\December 1986)
	Sexual abuse against disabled girls and women is roughly twice as high as for non-disabled girls and women. Considering that 33 percent of American women experience domestic violence, a conservative estimate says that at least 60% of disabled women have experienced it. (New Mobility Magazine, 1995) In 1994, 28% of the 4,739 women who were murdered were slain by a husband or boyfriend. (FBI)
	According to the U.S. Department of Justice, over two-thirds of female victims of violence documented in 1993 were related to or knew their attacker.
	A 1992 study of family and intimate assaults reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that family and intimate assaults involving firearms are 12 times more likely to result in death than all non-firearm family and intimate assaults.
	A 1993 study in the New England Journal of Family Medicine revealed that homes experiencing domestic violence were close to five times more likely to be the scene of a homicide than other homes. It also reported that a handgun in the home is 43 times more likely to kill a family member or an acquaintance than an intruder.
	The Bureau of Justice reports that although divorced and separated women comprise only 7% of the population in the U.S., they account for 75% of all battered women and report being assaulted 14 times more often than women still living with a partner.

Historically, violence against women has not been treated as a "real" crime. This is evident in the lack of severe consequences, such as incarceration or economic penalties, for men guilty of battering their partners. Rarely are batterers ostracized in their communities, even if they are known to have physically assaulted their partners. Batterers come from all groups and backgrounds, and from all personality profiles. However, some characteristics fit a general profile of a batterer:

	A batterer objectifies women. He does not see women as people. He does not respect women as a group. Overall, he sees women as property or sexual objects.
	A batterer has low self-esteem and feels powerless and ineffective in the world. He may appear successful, but inside he feels inadequate.
	A batterer externalizes the causes of his behavior. He blames his violence on circumstances such as stress, his partner’s behavior, a "bad day," alcohol or other factors.
	A batterer may be pleasant and charming between periods of violence, and is often seen as a "nice guy" to outsiders.
	Some behavioral warning signs of a potential batterer include extreme jealousy, possessiveness, a bad temper, unpredictability, cruelty to animals and verbal abusiveness.

Why Do Women Stay?

Although there is no profile of the women who will be battered, there is a well documented syndrome of what happens once the battering starts. Battered women experience shame, embarrassment and isolation. A woman may not leave battering immediately because

	She realistically fears that the batterer will become more violent and maybe even fatal if she attempts to leave;
	Her friends and family may not support her leaving;
	She knows the difficulties of single parenting in reduced financial circumstances;
	There is a mix of good times, love and hope along with the manipulation, intimidation and fear;
	She may not know about or have access to safety and support.

Barriers to Leaving A Violent Relationship

Lack of Resources:

	Most women have at least one dependent child.
	Many women are not employed outside of the home.
	Many women have no property that is solely theirs.
	Some women lack access to cash or bank accounts.
	Women who leave fear being charged with desertion, and losing children and joint assets.
	A woman may face a decline in living standards for herself and her children.

Institutional Responses:

	Clergy and secular counselors are often trained to see only the goal of "saving" the marriage at all costs, rather than the goal of stopping the violence.
	Police officers often do not provide support to women. They treat violence as a domestic "dispute," instead of a crime where one person is physically attacking another person.
	Police may try to dissuade women from filing charges.
	Prosecutors are often reluctant to prosecute cases, and judges rarely levy the maximum sentence upon convicted abusers. Probation or a fine is much more common.
	Despite the issuing of a restraining order, there is little to prevent a released abuser from returning and repeating the assault. Ñ Despite greater public awareness and the increased availability of housing for women fleeing violent partners, there are not enough shelters to keep women safe.

Traditional Ideology:

	Many women do not believe divorce is a viable alternative.
	Many women believe that a single parent family is unacceptable, and that even a violent father is better than no father at all.
	Many women are socialized to believe that they are responsible for making their marriage work. Failure to maintain the marriage equals failure as a woman.
	Many women become isolated from friends and families, either by the jealous and possessive abuser, or to hide signs of the abuse from the outside world. The isolation contributes to a sense that there is nowhere to turn.
	Many women rationalize their abuser’s behavior by blaming stress, alcohol, problems at work, unemployment or other factors.
	Many women are taught that their identity and worth are contingent upon getting and keeping a man.
	The abuser rarely beats the woman all the time. During the non-violent phases, he may fulfill the woman’s dream of romantic love. She believes that he is basically a "good man." If she believes that she should hold onto a "good man," this reinforces her decision to stay. She may also rationalize that her abuser is basically good until something bad happens to him and he has to "let off steam."

Predictors Of Domestic Violence