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Statistics & Hard Facts

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Domestic Violence Statistics

1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, or intimate partner stalking with impacts such as injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, use of victim services, and contraction of sexually transmitted diseases.
1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. This includes a range of behaviors such as slapping, shoving, and pushing.
1 in 7 women and 1 in 25 men have been injured by an intimate partner.
On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.
Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime in the United States.
19.3 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% of male stalking victims reported being stalked by a current or former intimate partner.
Women between the ages of 18-24 are most commonly abused by an intimate partner.
The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%.
Domestic violence hotlines receive approximately 20,000+ calls per day across the nation.
Only 34% of people who are injured by intimate partners receive medical care for their injuries.
72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these murder-suicides are female.

Sources: National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), National Domestic Violence Hotline, Bureau of Justice Statistics, CDC National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey

Child Abuse Statistics

Approximately 3.6 million referrals are made to child protection agencies in the U.S. each year, involving approximately 6.6 million children.
The United States has one of the worst records among industrialized nations, losing on average between four and seven children every day to child abuse and neglect.
A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds in the United States.
Approximately 1,840 children died from abuse and neglect in the United States in a recent reporting year.
About 80% of children that die from abuse are under the age of 3.
Children who experience abuse and neglect are about 9 times more likely to become involved in criminal activity.
About 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the cycle of abuse.
14% of all men in prison and 36% of all women in prison in the United States were abused as children.
Abused children are 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy.
Children who have been sexually abused are 2.5 times more likely to abuse alcohol and 3.8 times more likely to develop drug addictions.

Sources: Childhelp, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Child Abuse Statistics, Children's Bureau

Child Neglect Statistics

Neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment, accounting for approximately 76% of all child abuse cases.
More children suffer from neglect than from physical and sexual abuse combined.
Child neglect fatalities are more common than fatalities from any other type of abuse, and are often underreported.
Nearly 75% of reported child fatalities from maltreatment involved at least one component of neglect.
Children ages birth to 1 year have the highest rate of victimization at 25.3 per 1,000 children.
Children who experience neglect are at increased risk for cognitive delays, emotional difficulties, and physical health problems that can persist into adulthood.

Sources: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Children's Bureau, National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS)

Types of Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is not limited to physical harm. It encompasses a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship. Below are the recognized forms of domestic violence.

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is the intentional use of physical force with the potential for causing injury, harm, disability, or death. It is one of the most recognized forms of domestic violence, but it does not have to leave visible marks to be considered abuse.

Examples:
  • Hitting, punching, slapping, kicking, or biting
  • Choking or strangling
  • Pushing, shoving, or throwing the victim
  • Burning or scalding
  • Using weapons or objects to harm
  • Restraining or holding the victim down
  • Pulling hair or dragging the victim
  • Denying medical treatment after causing injury

Emotional/Psychological Abuse

Emotional abuse involves behaviors that harm a person's self-worth or emotional well-being. It is designed to erode the victim's sense of self, making them feel worthless, afraid, or dependent on the abuser. Emotional abuse is often the most difficult form to identify because it leaves no physical scars, but it can be just as damaging as physical violence.

Examples:
  • Constant criticism, name-calling, and belittling
  • Humiliating the victim in front of others
  • Gaslighting - making the victim question their own memory, perception, or sanity
  • Threatening to harm the victim, their children, or their pets
  • Ignoring, dismissing, or ridiculing the victim's needs
  • Isolating the victim from friends and family
  • Using intimidation through looks, actions, or gestures
  • Blaming the victim for the abuser's behavior
  • Withholding affection as punishment

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse in a domestic relationship is any situation in which one partner forces or coerces the other to participate in unwanted, unsafe, or degrading sexual activity. Being in a relationship or marriage does not grant automatic consent. Sexual abuse is about power and control, not desire.

Examples:
  • Forcing or coercing sexual acts without consent
  • Rape within a marriage or relationship (marital rape)
  • Unwanted touching, kissing, or groping
  • Forcing the victim to perform sexual acts they are uncomfortable with
  • Refusing to use protection or sabotaging birth control
  • Treating the victim as a sexual object
  • Using sexual insults or shaming the victim's body
  • Filming or photographing sexual acts without consent

Financial/Economic Abuse

Financial abuse is a form of control in which the abuser uses money and financial resources to dominate and trap the victim. It is one of the most powerful methods of keeping a victim in an abusive relationship because without financial resources, leaving becomes extremely difficult. An estimated 99% of domestic violence cases involve some form of financial abuse.

Examples:
  • Controlling all household finances and giving the victim an "allowance"
  • Preventing the victim from working or sabotaging their employment
  • Stealing the victim's money, property, or identity
  • Running up debt in the victim's name without their knowledge
  • Withholding basic necessities like food, clothing, or medication
  • Forcing the victim to account for every penny spent
  • Hiding financial information or assets
  • Refusing to contribute financially while demanding the victim provide

Digital/Technological Abuse

Digital abuse is the use of technology and digital tools to harass, stalk, intimidate, or control a partner. As technology has become more integrated into everyday life, this form of abuse has become increasingly common and can extend the abuser's control even when the victim is not physically present.

Examples:
  • Monitoring the victim's phone calls, texts, emails, and social media
  • Demanding passwords to all accounts
  • Using GPS or spyware to track the victim's location
  • Posting embarrassing or private photos or information online
  • Sending threatening or harassing messages
  • Creating fake profiles to monitor or stalk the victim
  • Controlling who the victim can follow or communicate with online
  • Using smart home devices to monitor, record, or control the victim

Verbal Abuse

Verbal abuse is the use of words to attack, manipulate, and control another person. While often dismissed as "just words," verbal abuse can have devastating psychological effects. It often accompanies other forms of abuse and is frequently used to establish dominance and break down the victim's self-esteem over time.

Examples:
  • Yelling, screaming, or shouting at the victim
  • Name-calling and using degrading language
  • Constant and unreasonable criticism
  • Telling the victim they are worthless, stupid, or unlovable
  • Making threats of violence or harm
  • Mocking the victim's beliefs, appearance, or achievements
  • Using sarcasm to cut down and demean
  • Ordering the victim around and treating them like a servant

Stalking

Stalking is a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear. It is a serious, potentially life-threatening crime that affects millions of people each year. Stalking can occur during a relationship, after a breakup, or even between people who have never been in a relationship.

Examples:
  • Repeatedly following the victim or showing up uninvited
  • Watching or surveilling the victim's home, workplace, or school
  • Sending unwanted gifts, letters, messages, or emails
  • Damaging the victim's property
  • Threatening the victim or their loved ones
  • Tracking the victim using technology
  • Contacting the victim's friends, family, or coworkers to gather information
  • Posting information or spreading rumors about the victim

Reproductive Coercion

Reproductive coercion is a form of domestic violence that involves behaviors intended to control a partner's reproductive choices. It strips the victim of their bodily autonomy and is used as another method of maintaining power and control in the relationship.

Examples:
  • Sabotaging birth control (hiding pills, poking holes in condoms)
  • Pressuring or forcing pregnancy
  • Pressuring or forcing abortion
  • Controlling decisions about whether to have children
  • Threatening the victim if they do or do not become pregnant

Types of Child Abuse

Child abuse is any act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm to a child.

Physical Abuse of a Child

Physical abuse of a child is the intentional use of physical force against a child that results in, or has the potential to result in, physical injury. It goes beyond reasonable discipline and can range from minor bruising to severe fractures or death. Physical abuse is not limited to any single act; it is often a pattern of behavior.

Examples:
  • Hitting, slapping, punching, or kicking a child
  • Burning or scalding with hot water, cigarettes, or irons
  • Shaking a baby or small child (shaken baby syndrome)
  • Biting or scratching a child
  • Pulling a child's hair or ears
  • Choking or smothering
  • Throwing a child or pushing them down stairs
  • Using excessive physical discipline that leaves marks or injuries
  • Poisoning a child intentionally

Emotional/Psychological Abuse of a Child

Emotional abuse of a child is a pattern of behavior that impairs a child's emotional development or sense of self-worth. It includes constant criticism, threats, rejection, and withholding of love, support, or guidance. Emotional abuse is almost always present when other forms of abuse are occurring, but it can also occur on its own. It is often the hardest form of abuse to prove, but its effects can be just as severe and long-lasting as physical abuse.

Examples:
  • Constant belittling, shaming, or humiliating a child
  • Calling a child names like "stupid," "worthless," or "a mistake"
  • Telling a child they are not loved or not wanted
  • Threatening to hurt or abandon the child
  • Ignoring or rejecting the child as punishment
  • Isolating the child from friends, activities, or normal social interactions
  • Exposing the child to domestic violence between adults
  • Terrorizing a child by creating a climate of fear
  • Placing unreasonable demands or expectations on the child
  • Using extreme or unpredictable punishment
  • Withholding affection, praise, and emotional support

Sexual Abuse of a Child

Child sexual abuse is any interaction between a child and an adult (or another older child) in which the child is used for the sexual stimulation of the perpetrator or an observer. It includes both contact and non-contact offenses and can be committed by a family member, caretaker, or stranger. Sexual abuse involves a power imbalance in which the child cannot give informed consent.

Examples:
  • Any form of sexual contact or touching of a child
  • Exposing a child to sexual situations or material
  • Having a child pose or participate in sexual photographs or videos
  • Exposing oneself to a child
  • Voyeurism - watching a child undress or bathe for sexual gratification
  • Telling a child sexually explicit stories or jokes
  • Sex trafficking of a child
  • Using a child for prostitution or pornography
  • Online exploitation - soliciting a child for sexual purposes through the internet

Medical Child Abuse (Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy)

Medical child abuse, also known as Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (formerly Munchausen syndrome by proxy), occurs when a caregiver fabricates or induces illness in a child in order to gain attention, sympathy, or some other benefit. The caregiver may lie about symptoms, alter test results, or actually cause illness or injury in the child. This form of abuse is extremely dangerous and can be fatal.

Examples:
  • Fabricating symptoms of illness in a child
  • Tampering with medical tests to make a child appear sick
  • Administering substances to a child to induce real symptoms
  • Repeatedly seeking unnecessary medical treatment for the child
  • Exaggerating or lying about a child's medical history to doctors

Types of Child Neglect

Child neglect is the failure of a parent or caretaker to provide for a child's basic physical, emotional, medical, or educational needs. It is the most common form of child maltreatment and can be just as damaging as physical or sexual abuse. Neglect is often chronic and persistent rather than a single incident.

Physical Neglect

Physical neglect is the failure to provide for a child's basic physical needs. It is the most visible form of neglect and involves not providing the essentials required for a child's survival and healthy development. Physical neglect can be a result of poverty, but it becomes abuse when a caregiver makes no effort to provide or seek help for the child's needs.

Examples:
  • Not providing adequate food or leaving a child hungry regularly
  • Not providing appropriate clothing for weather conditions
  • Failing to provide adequate shelter or safe living conditions
  • Leaving a child unsupervised for extended periods, especially young children
  • Abandoning a child or expelling them from the home
  • Not providing basic hygiene care (bathing, dental care)
  • Leaving hazardous materials or weapons accessible to children

Emotional Neglect

Emotional neglect is the failure to meet a child's emotional and psychological needs. Unlike emotional abuse, which involves active harmful behavior, emotional neglect is characterized by the absence of adequate nurturing, attention, and support. It can be difficult to recognize because it involves what is not happening rather than what is, but its effects on a child's development can be profound and long-lasting.

Examples:
  • Failing to show affection, love, or warmth to a child
  • Ignoring a child's emotional needs or cries for help
  • Failing to provide psychological care or support
  • Being chronically emotionally unavailable to the child
  • Exposing a child to extreme domestic violence
  • Allowing a child to use drugs or alcohol
  • Not responding to or acknowledging a child's presence
  • Treating a child as invisible or unimportant

Medical Neglect

Medical neglect is the failure to provide appropriate health care for a child. This includes refusing or delaying necessary medical, dental, or mental health treatment. Medical neglect can result in worsened conditions, preventable suffering, permanent disability, or death.

Examples:
  • Refusing to seek medical treatment for a sick or injured child
  • Ignoring medical recommendations or not following prescribed treatment
  • Failing to provide necessary medications
  • Not obtaining needed dental care
  • Not seeking treatment for mental health issues
  • Refusing immunizations without legitimate medical exemption
  • Delaying medical care to the point where the child's condition worsens significantly

Educational Neglect

Educational neglect is the failure to provide a child with appropriate educational opportunities. Education is a legal requirement, and failing to ensure a child receives an education deprives them of the knowledge and skills they need for their future. Educational neglect can severely limit a child's opportunities and development.

Examples:
  • Failing to enroll a school-age child in school or an approved alternative
  • Allowing chronic truancy or absenteeism without legitimate reason
  • Not providing required special education services
  • Ignoring a child's educational needs or learning disabilities
  • Keeping a child home to work, care for siblings, or serve the parent's needs
  • Not providing the tools and environment needed for learning

Supervisory Neglect

Supervisory neglect occurs when a parent or caretaker fails to adequately supervise a child, leaving them at risk for harm. This includes leaving young children alone, failing to protect them from safety hazards, or not providing appropriate oversight for a child's age and developmental level.

Examples:
  • Leaving young children home alone or without a responsible caretaker
  • Leaving a child in the care of someone who is incapable or abusive
  • Not knowing or caring about a child's whereabouts
  • Leaving a child in a dangerous environment
  • Failing to protect a child from known hazards in the home
  • Allowing a child to be in situations of foreseeable danger

The Lasting Impact

Abuse and neglect do not end when the violence stops. Survivors carry the weight of these experiences throughout their lives.

Children who witness domestic violence are at a significantly greater risk of being abused themselves and of developing behavioral, emotional, and social problems.
Survivors of domestic violence face high rates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sleep disturbances, and suicidal ideation.
The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $8.3 billion per year in the United States, including medical care, mental health services, and lost productivity.
Between 21-60% of victims of intimate partner violence lose their jobs due to reasons stemming from the abuse.
Adults who experienced abuse or neglect as children are more likely to experience chronic health conditions including heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and substance abuse disorders.
The ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Study found that the more adverse experiences a child has, the greater their risk for chronic disease, mental illness, violence, and being a victim of violence later in life.

Sources: CDC ACE Study, National Domestic Violence Hotline, World Health Organization, U.S. Department of Justice

A Note to Readers

The information on this page can be difficult to read, especially for those who have experienced abuse firsthand. Please remember that there is no shame in what you have been through. These statistics represent real people - survivors who deserve compassion, support, and justice.

If reading this page has brought up difficult emotions, please reach out to someone you trust or contact one of the resources on our Need Help Now page.

You Deserve to Be Safe

If you are experiencing any form of abuse described on this page, or if you even think you might be, please know that it is not your fault and help is available. You deserve safety, respect, and peace.

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