Violence Fact Sheet
Forms of Violence
Manipulation, pushing, slapping, punching, shoving, threats, isolation, possessiveness, intimidation, humiliation, name calling, blaming, recklessness, ignoring, forcing, sexual assault, incest, rape, etc...
Nationally
- 8-12 million women are at risk of being abused (nearly one quarter of all women).
- 33% of all men who abuse their wives also abuse their children.
- An adult woman is 5 times more likely to die due to domestic violence than in a plane crash.
- Domestic assault occurs every 18 seconds in the U.S.
- 35% of all women who visit hospital emergency rooms are there for symptoms of on-going abuse, yet less than 5% are diagnosed as such.
- 45% of all women who are battered are battered during pregnancy.
- Only one in 14 cases of domestic elder abuse is reported.
In Maine
- Domestic assault occurs every 2 1/2 hours in Maine.
- Sexual assault occurs to 1 out of 4 individuals and only 7% of all sexual assault is reported.
- 60% of Maine homicides rise out of domestic violence (20% nationally).
- 33% of Maine students admitted to being involved in a physical fight last year; another 7% admitted to being threatened with a weapon.
- In 1995, one half (10 out of 20) murders were domestic violence related.
- In 1994, nearly 11,000 individuals sought assistance from Maine's domestic abuse centers; in 1995, the number exceeded 12,000.
- In 1995, of the 6,799 child abuse referrals to Maine's Child Protective Services, 2,693 (40%) went uninvestigated due to under staffing.
- Nearly 45% of elder abuse is the result of self-neglect.
Locally
- 36% of Franklin County 9th graders report feeling unsafe riding the bus to school, or at school.
- 75% of assaults are male on female.
- Since 1990, the number of reported rapes has more than doubled.
- In 1995, 176 persons (29 male + 147 female) reported sexual assault.
- 50% of sexual assaults (reported) in Franklin County are the result of incest.
- In 1995, only 2% of reported sexual assaults in Franklin County were between strangers.
- AWAP sheltered 120 women and 130 children in the past year.
- AWAP received 980 hot-line calls from Franklin County in the past year.
Costs
- In 1990, nationally, $19.2 billion lost due to violent crimes (medical expenses, lost pay, theft, and damages).
- In the U.S., the average cost of one...
- ...sexual assault is $47,000.
- ...physical assault is $15,000.
- 60% of all violent crimes require care in an Emergency Department...64% of those are NOT covered by Medicaid or insurance.
- Sexual harassment average cost to a company is $282/employee.
