Description
The term “intimate partner violence” includes the following acts as inflicted or caused by a current or former intimate partner:
- Actual or threats of physical violence
- Actual or threats of sexual violence
- Emotional or psychological abuse (e.g., name calling or putdowns, threats to “out” a person’s sexual orientation to family, work or friends)
- Stalking (e.g., excessive calls/texts/emails, monitoring daily activities, using technology to track a person’s location)
- Financial abuse (e.g., withholding money, ruining credit, stopping a partner from getting or keeping a job)
- Threats to “out” a person’s sexual orientation to family, work or friends
Intimate partners can include:
- Current or former spouses
- Boyfriends or girlfriends
- Dating partners
- Sexual partners
Domestic violence can occur in heterosexual and same-sex relationships.
Domestic Violence Statistics and Facts
National Domestic Violence Statistics
- 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. (CDC, 2017)
- 1 in 10 women in the United States will be raped by an intimate partner in her lifetime. (CDC, 2010)
- Approximately 16.9% of women and 8.0% of men will experience sexual violence other than rape by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime. (CDC, 2010)
- Data on sexual violence against men may be underreported.
- Approximately 16.9% of women and 8.0% of men will experience sexual violence other than rape by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime. (CDC, 2010)
- An estimated 9.7% of women and 2.3% of men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime. (CDC, 2017)
- Nearly half of all women and men in the United States will experience psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime. (CDC, 2017)
- Over half of female and male victims of rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner experienced some form of intimate partner violence for the first time before 25 years of age. (CDC, 2010)
Domestic Violence Statistics by Race/Ethnicity
- Almost half (47.5%) of American Indian/Alaska Native women, 45.1% of non-Hispanic Black women, 37.3% of non-Hispanic White women, 34.4% of Hispanic women, and 18.3% of Asian-Pacific Islander women experience contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. (CDC, 2017)
Domestic Violence Statistics on Sexual Orientation
- 2 in 5 lesbian women, 3 in 5 bisexual women, and 1 in 3 heterosexual women will experience rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. (CDC, 2010)
- 1 in 4 gay men, 1 in 3 bisexual men, and 3 in 10 heterosexual men will experience rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. (CDC, 2010)
Domestic Violence Statistics for New York City
- Intimate partner homicide accounts for over half of all NYC family-related homicides. (NYC DV Fatality Review Committee, 2018)
- The New York City Police Department responds to approximately 230,000 domestic incidents each year. (NYC Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence)
