Whatis4.htm

Domestic violence isn't a major problem in our society.

In 1996, 31% of women reported that they had been physically assaulted by a boyfriend or spouse at least once in their lives.¹ An estimated 850,000 men per year are assaulted by intimate partners.² One in seven students in a Massachusetts survey of students in grades 9 through 12 had experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner in a dating relationship.³ 3.3 million children per year are exposed to violence in the home, usually one parent assaulting the other.⁴ Each year, medical expenses from domestic violence total at least $3 to $5 billion. Businesses forfeit another $100 million in lost wages, sick leave, absenteeism, and non-productivity.⁵ The prevalence of domestic violence among gay and lesbian couples is approximately 25-33%.⁶
Domestic violence only happens to lower class, poor, and uneducated people.

Battering can happen in any type of family, household, or relationship.
Battering is caused by alcohol and drug abuse. Those are the real problems, violence is just a by-product.

Battering is not caused by alcohol or drug abuse. Batterers choose to abuse their partners in order to maintain control. They may claim that they "lose control" under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but this is primarily an excuse. Some batterers may become less inhibited or more impulsive when using drugs or alcohol, but this only makes the violence worse--it doesn't cause it.
It's only "battering" if someone is being physically abused.

Battering means control through intimidation. Emotional terrorism, constant verbal abuse, threats, sexual coercion, and demonstrations of force (such as punching a hole in the wall with a fist) can be just as effective as a beating. Years of such abuse will leave the abused person traumatized even if no blow was ever struck.
Most domestic violence reports just involve minor abuse like a push or slap.

Abused persons are often severely injured. Battering injuries may be repeated over and over again, creating life-long disability such as hearing loss or chronic pain. Batterers who are physically smaller than their partners will often use weapons.
Batterers are mentally ill. If they had the right medication or therapy, they'd stop battering and be fine.

Most batterers, even the most violent, are assessed as perfectly normal in psychological evaluations. They are no more likely to have a psychological disorder such as bi-polar, depression, or a personality disorder than are non-battering persons. When batterers do have a disorder, it may increase their violent tendencies, but, as with drugs and alcohol, it does not cause the need to control.
Only heterosexual men batter.

Men are battered, too. Heterosexual men are sometimes battered, and even murdered, by female partners. Gay men are sometimes battered by their male partners. Gay women are sometimes battered by their female partners. These abused partners often have trouble getting authorities and human service agencies to take them seriously or believe that they're being battered.

NOTES:
¹ American Psychological Association. Violence and the Family: Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family. 1996.
² Tjaden, P. G., & Thoennes, N. (2000). Full Report of Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Research Report, Nov. 2000. NCJ 183781
³ Massachusetts Department of Education Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 1998.
⁴ American Psychological Association. Violence and the Family. 1996.
⁵ Stark and Flitcraft. General Facts about Domestic Violence. 1998.
⁶ Barnes. "It's Just a Quarrel." American Bar Association. February, 1998.

Myths About Battering