Violence against women is an epidemic that must end.
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One in three women worldwide will be beaten, raped, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. 1
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Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted. 2
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About two thirds of sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows. 3
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Approximately 1.5 million women in the United States are physically assaulted annually by an intimate partner. That's one every 15 seconds. 4
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Each year, up to 10 million children experience domestic violence. Exposure to violence in the home is a significant predictor of a child's future violent behavior. 5
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Worldwide, one in four pregnant women is physically or sexually abused, usually by her partner. 6
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One in 12 women will be stalked in her life. 7
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Approximately 800,000 to 900,000 people worldwide are trafficked across international borders each year, and between 18,000 and 20,000 of those victims are brought into the United States. 8
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The cost of intimate-partner violence, including rape, physical assault and stalking, exceeds $5.8 billion each year, of which $4.1 billion is spent on direct medical and mental health services. 9
To find your state's Coalition Against Domestic Violence, click here.
1. L. Heise, M. Ellsberg and M. Gottemoeller, "Ending Violence Against Women," Population Reports, Series L, No. 11, 1999.
2. 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey, U.S. Department of Justice.
3. 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey, U.S. Department of Justice.
4. U.S. Department of Justice, 2004.
5. M.I. Singer, D.B. Miller, S. Guo, K. Slovak and T. Frieson, "The Mental Health Consequences of Children's Exposure to Violence," Cuyahoga County Community Health Research Institute, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University. Cleveland, 1998.
6. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2004.
7. National Center for Victims of Crime, 2004.
8. U.S. Department of State, 2004.
9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003.
