Domestic Violence Statistics and Impact

Arizona

- In Arizona a woman is murdered by her husband or boyfriend every four days (1)

- Young children are more likely to die of child abuse or neglect in the Phoenix metropolitan area than in any other major metropolitan area in the country (2)

- 2 out of 3 women who seek shelter for domestic violence in Arizona will be turned away do to lack of shelter space (3)

(1) - (3) Attorney General Terry Goddard, Domestic Violence Remains State’s no. 1 Violent Crime. My Turn Column. October 2005. http//www.azag.gov/Press_MyTurn/Oct2005.html.

Economic Costs

- 37% of emergency room visits in 1994 were a result of violence perpetrated by a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend. (1)

- From 1987 to 1990, adult victims of domestic violence incurred 15% of the total cost of crime on victims ($67 billion). (2)

- Victims of domestic violence account for 22-35% of all women seeking emergency medical care. (3)

- An estimated $150 million annually is spent on medical expenses resulting form domestic violence injuries. (4)

- 44% of respondents to a recent survey have personally experienced domestic violence’s impact on the workplace, most frequently because a co-worker was a victim. (5)

- In a 2002 study, 66% of corporate leaders identified domestic violence as a major social issue. (6)

- A study conducted by the Maine Department of Labor and Family Crisis Services found that over ¾ of domestic violence offenders used workplace resources at least once to express remorse or anger, check up on, pressure, or threaten their victim. (7)

- In a survey of 7,000 women, 37% said domestic violence had a negative impact on their job performance. (8)

- In one study of batterers 41% had job performance problems and 48% had difficulty concentrating on the job as a result of their abusive behaviors. (9)

- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that the annual cost of lost productivity doe to domestic violence equals $727.8 million, with more than 7.9 million paid workdays lost each year. (10)

- The national health care costs of domestic violence (often absorbed by employers) are high, with direct medical and mental health care services for victims amounting to $4.1 billion. (11)

- In a survey of U.S. women 18 years and older an estimated 5.3 million intimate partner violence occurs each year. (12)

- Nearly 5.6 million days of household productivity is lost as a result of violence. (13)

(1) Rand Michael R. 1997. Violence-related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, D.C. (2) National Institute of Justice, 1996. Victims Costs and Consequences, a New Look. Washington, D.C. (3) – (4) American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists. “Fact Sheet: Interpersonal Violence Against Women Throughout the Life Span?” http://.acog.org/from home/ department/category.cfm?recno=17&bulletin=186. 2004. (accessed October 14, 2004). (5) Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence. Domestic Violence Exerts Significant Impact on America’s Workplaces, Benchmark Study Finds. Press Release. 12 October 2005. Bloomington, IL: PRNewswire. http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/051012/law049.html?.v=30 (6) Family Violence Prevention Fund. Seven Reasons Employers Should Address Domestic Violence. http://endabuse.org/workplace/display.php?docID=33001. (7) Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence. Domestic Violence Exerts Significant Impact on America’s Workplaces, Benchmark Study Finds. (8) Family Violence Prevention Fund. The Facts on the Workplace and Domestic Violence Against Women. (9) – (11) Family Violence Prevention Fund. Seven Reasons Employers Should Address Domestic Violence. http://endabuse.org/workplace/display.php?docID=33001 (12) – (13) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Costs of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the United States. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2003.