Domestic Violence in Multnomah County

  • 1 of every 7 women aged 18-64 was physically abused by an intimate partner during the past year. This means that almost 28,000 women in Multnomah County (13.9%) were physically abused by their partners during the past year. 9
  • 1 of every 9 women in Multnomah County was assaulted during the past year (21,000 or 10.9%). 9
  • 1 of 14 women were coerced (13,900 or 7.0%) 9
  • 1 of 20 was injured as a result of domestic violence (10,000 or 5.1%). 9
  • One third of physically abused women were both assaulted and sexually coerced. 9
  • 40% of the women who experienced physical abuse during the past year were severely abused. 9
  • More than a third of the women abused in the past year (37%) suffered an injury from their abuse. 9

Young children are especially affected by violence

  • 21,000 children in Multnomah County were exposed to domestic violence last year. This estimate of the number of children who saw or heard acts of domestic violence is based on statewide data. 9
  • Half of children exposed to domestic violence were under five years old when they first witnessed this violence. 9
  • Two-thirds of the children who saw or heard acts of domestic violence witnessed it at least once a month. 9
  • Research has shown that domestic violence has significant negative impacts on children in the household. These children are more likely to be physically or sexually abused by a parent or be unintended victims of physical assault. 10
  • Children sometimes exhibit psychological or behavioral problems as a result of witnessing abuse. 11

Domestic Violence in Oregon

  • In a 2004 survey of Oregon women ages 20 to 55 years old, nearly one-third (31%) reported that they had experienced one or more types of violence victimization - including threats of violence, physical assaults, sexual assaults or stalking. 7
  • Between 1997 and 2003, 123 homicides occurred among Oregonians age 12 and older, due to intimate partner violence. 8
  • Children are affected by intimate partner violence (IPV). Children witnessed 33% of intimate partner physical assaults and 20% of intimate partner sexual assaults. 7
  • 20 deaths were related to intimate partner violence in 2007. 43% of female homicide victims were killed by an intimate partner in Oregon. 7

Domestic Violence in the United States

  • 1 in every 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.1
  • Nearly 3 out of 4 (74%) Americans personally know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence. 30% of Americans say they know a woman who as been physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year. 6
  • On average, more than 3 women a day are murdered by their husband/intimate partner in the United States.
  • In 2005, 1,181 women were murdered by their intimate partner.
  • 15.5 million children in the United States lived in families in which partner violence occurred at least one time in the past year and 7 million children lived in families in which severe partner violence occurred.
  • In 2008, 16,458 children were living in a domestic violence shelter or in transitional housing.
  • Estimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence against a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend to 3 million women who are physically abused by their husband or boyfriend per year. 2
  • Women accounted for 85% of the victims of intimate partner violence, men for approximately 15%. 3
  • Intimate partner violence affects people regardless of income. However, people with lower annual income (below $25K) are at a 3-times higher risk of intimate partner violence than people with higher annual income (over $50K). 4
  • Nearly 2.2 million people called a domestic violence crisis or hotline in 2004 to escape crisis situations, seek advice or assist someone they thought might be victims. 5

Sources

1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The National Institute of Justice, Extent, Nature and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence, July 2000. The Commonwealth Fund, Health Concerns Across a Women's Lifespan; 1998 Survey of Women's Health 1999.

2. U.S. Department of Justice, Violence by Intimates: Analysis of Date on Crimes by Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriends, and Girlfriends, March 1998. The Commonwealth Fund, Health Concerns Across a Women's Lifespan; 1998 Survey of Women's Health, 1999.

3. Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001, February 2003.

4. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Intimate Partner Violence in the U.S. 1993-2004, 2006.

5. National Network to End Domestic Violence. www.nnedv.org

6. Allstate Foundation National Poll on Domestic Violence, 2006. Lieberman Research Inc. Tracking Survey conducted for The Advertising Council and the Family Violence Prevention Fund, July - October 1996.

7. https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/ABUSE/DOMESTIC/DVAG/dvcouncil/factsheet.pdf

8. OCADSV's Domestic Violence Fact Sheet

9. multco.us/staticfiles/Resources/DV/documents/dvreport.pdf

10. Peled, E (1998). The experience of living with violence for preadolescent children of battered women. Youth and Society, 29 (4), 395-430.

11. Kolbo, J.R., Blakely, E.H., & Engleman, D. (1996). Children who witness domestic violence: A review of empirical literature. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 11 (2), 281-293.