Domestic violence victims and their children face daunting obstacles to piece back their shattered lives.

In 2002, 56,452 calls reporting domestic violence incidents were made to Los Angeles County-area law enforcement agencies — 71% of which involved a weapon. However, many women still do not report their abuse or self-identify as victims from fear or a lack of knowledge (California Criminal Justice Statistics Center, Bureau of Justice, 2002).

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Across the world, an estimated one in three women has experienced battering, sexual coercion, or other abuse during her lifetime (Heise, L., Ellsberg, M., and Gottenmoeller, M. Ending Violence Against Women. Population Reports, Series L., No. 11, December 1999).

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Each year, between 1 and 4 million women in the U.S. experience serious assault by an intimate partner (U.S. Justice Department, Bureau of Justice Special Report: Estimates from the Redesigned Survey [NCJ-154348], August 1995; American Psychological Association: Violence and the Family: Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family, 1996).

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On an average day in the U.S., three women are murdered by their male intimate partners (U.S. Justice Department, Bureau of Justice Special Report: Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim, 1993-99, October 2001).

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The rates of domestic violence in same-gender relationships are roughly the same as domestic violence against heterosexual women (LAMBDA Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project [AVP], El Paso, Texas).

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One in five pregnant teenagers is physically or sexually abused while awaiting childbirth (California Department of Health Services, Maternal and Child Health Branch).

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Approximately 20% of female high school students report being victimized by a date, physically and/or sexually (Silverman, Ph.D., J.G.; Raj, Ph.D., A; Mucci, MPH, L.A., and Hathaway, MD, MPH, J.E., "Dating Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Associated Substance Use, Unhealthy Weight Control, Sexual Risk Behavior, Pregnancy, and Suicidality," Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 286, No. 5, 2001).

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An overlap of 30% to 60% has been found between violence against children and violence against women in the same families (National Clearing House on Child Abuse and Neglect Information, In Harm's Way: Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment, Washington, DC: National Clearing House on Child Abuse and Neglect Information, 1999).

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Being abused or neglected as a child increased the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 59%, as an adult by 28%, and for a violent crime by 30% (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice, Research in Brief: An Update on the "Cycle of Violence," February 2001).

In 1999, women comprised 85% of U.S. victims of intimate partner violence; women ages 16 to 24 were the most vulnerable to intimate violence (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Special Report: Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim, 1993-99, October 2001).

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In general, from 1993-1999, separated females experienced intimate partner violence at rates significantly higher than women in any other marital category. Separated women ages 20-24 and 25-34 had the highest annual average rates of intimate partner victimization (Ibid.).

Financial insecurity and economic abuse by a batterer put many women in the position of choosing between staying with an abusive partner or facing poverty and homelessness (Perry, A.L. and Zorza, J., Bread and Butter Issues for Survivors of Domestic Violence: Income, Employment and Housing, Domestic Violence Report, 5(1) October/November 1999).

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  Domestic violence is a major contributing factor to homelessness among women; perhaps 86% of homeless women were physically abused prior to life on the streets (Fisher, Hovel, Hofstetter, and Hough: International Journal of Health Services, 1995).

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  Most domestic violence victims are deeply concerned about their children's safety and work hard to protect them both from physical harm and the hurt of poverty and of isolation that can result from leaving or reporting a batterer. These women know that keeping their children safe requires eliminating both sets of risks (Schecter, S. and Edelson, J.S., Domestic Violence and Children: Creating a Public Response, New York, NY: Center on Crime, Communities & Culture of the Open Society Institute, 2000).

Common symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome found among domestic violence victims are depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse, suicidality, intrusive thoughts, somatization, and hypervigilance (Harway, M. and Hansen, M., Spouse Abuse, 1994).

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  Besides the damage done during violent attacks, physical and psychological abuse can lead to health problems such as arthritis, chronic neck or back pain, headaches and migraines, visual impairment, speech problems, ulcers, digestive tract troubles, and other unsettling ailments (Coker, A., Smith, P., Bethea, L., King, M., and McKeown, R. "Physical Health Consequences of Physical and Psychological Intimate Partner Violence," Archives of Family Medicine, Vol. 9, May 2000).

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  Pregnant domestic violence victims experience more depression, suicide attempts, and use of tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs (Parker, B., McFarlane, K., "Physical Abuse, Smoking and Substance Abuse During Pregnancy: Prevalence, Interrelationships and Effects on Birthweight," Journal of Obstetrical Gynecological and Neonatal Nursing, 45, 1996).

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  Intimate partners of abused teen mothers on welfare are also likely to have purposely thwarted these girls' birth control efforts and completion of school (Konieczny, M.E., Domestic Violence and Birth Control Sabotage: A Report from the Teen Parent Project, Center for Impact Research, February 2000).

Every risk and dislocation that a domestic violence victim experiences is one that her children also endures. The impact of multiple assaults – depression, fear for personal safety inside one's own home, loss of income and housing, school disruptions, and grieving for a father and husband – are complicated and traumatic for women and their children (Schechter, S. and Edleson, J.L., Domestic Violence & Children: Creating a Public Response, the Open Society Institute, Center on Crime, Communities & Culture, 2000).

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  Between 1993 and 1998, children under age 12 resided in 43% of the homes where domestic violence occurred (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Special Report: Intimate Partner Violence, May 2000).

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  Children exposed to violence experience considerable short- and long-term harm. This includes experiencing feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, fear, and aggression when their parents, loved ones, or they themselves are harmed. Long-term effects include difficulties in school, work, and relationships and physical and mental health problems. In addition, children exposed to violence may be victimized again as they grow older, or become victimizers themselves, as studies indicate that children exposed to violence are at greater risk of committing violent acts (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Safe From the Start: Taking Action on Children Exposed to Violence, November 2000).

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  Children who witness violence often experience many of the same symptoms and lasting effects as children who are direct victims of violence (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime, June 1999).

The challenges are great, but 1736 Family Crisis Center has developed a range of intensive specialized services that have proven effective in helping domestic violence victims and their children turn their lives around.

This includes emergency and up to two years of nurturing shelter for women and their children, girls and boys prenatal through age 17. Shelters are located at confidential sites throughout Los Angeles.

Our community service centers throughout Los Angeles offer counseling for children, teens, and adults not requiring immediate shelter. We also provide job training, search, and placement services for abused women on welfare residing in our shelters or in the community and other key aid.

Our 24-hour domestic violence hotlines offer immediate help and referrals. You can reach us now at:
(213) 745-6434
(213) 222-1237
(310) 370-5902
(562) 388-7652

For more information, click here.