Click here for printable version. Defining Domestic Violence   Domestic violence is the power and control of an individual. It is a pattern of deliberate intimidation and abuse intended to coerce the victim to do what the abuser wants. Types of domestic violence include: Intimidation Emotional Abuse Isolation Coercion and threats Economic Abuse Using male privilege Using children Minimizing, denying and blaming Physical abuse Facts about violence against women and children: In Georgia, 1 in 3 women will be physically abused at least once during their lifetime by a family member or intimate partner (CDC study on violence prevention, 1999). 95% of victims of domestic violence are women. The single largest cause of injury to women in the United States is domestic violence. Women of all cultures, races, occupations, income levels, and ages are battered by husbands, boyfriends, lovers and partners. White, Black and Hispanic women all incur about the same rates of violence committed by an intimate partner. There are approximately 2 - 4 million women abused by their partners each year in this country. A woman is beaten every 15 seconds. Women age 20 - 34 have the highest rate of violent victimization committed by intimate partners of any age group. Nearly 4,000 women die each year as the result of domestic violence. Four women per day are murdered by their partners. Violence will occur at least once in two-third's of all marriages. 47% of men who beat their partners do so three or more times a year. One in five women who have been victimized by their partners or ex-partners, report that they had been victimized over and over again by the same person. In the United States, a rape is committed every six minutes. 14% of married women report being raped by their current or former husbands, and rape is a significant form of abuse in 54% of violent marriages. 25% of pregnant women seeking prenatal care are in battering relationships. Battered women have an increased incidence of "spontaneous" abortions, pre-term labor, fetal injuries and low birth weight babies. Each year, domestic violence causes approximately 100,000 days of hospitalization. This violence costs the nation between $5 and $10 billion per year. Click here for printable version. Click here to view the "Wheel of Equality" Click here to view the "Power & Control Power"