Help for Family Violence / Sexual abuse.

Family Violence & Sexual Abuse - More common than you may think.

Domestic violence statistics

• One out of every four U.S. women will experience violence by an intimate partner in her life­time; only one-seventh of domes­tic assaults come to the attention of police.
• An estimated 4.8 million intim­ate partner rapes and physical as­saults are perpetrated against women each year, 2 million result in physical injury, 552,192 require some type of medical treatment.
• Homicide at the hands of an in­timate partner accounts for one­ third of all female homicides, 5 percent of all male homicides.
• One survey estimates that at least three out of every 100 men had severely assaulted their fe­male partner in the preceding 12 months.
• Forty-percent to 60 percent of men who abuse women also abuse children.

Characteristics of batterers.

• Many batterers are intensely jealous, have low self-esteem, blame others for their behavior, use sex as an act of aggression and believe in male superiority. Some are Jekyll-Hydes, hiding their brutal side from the world.
• Their three most common pat­terns are control and power, deni­gration and belittling; and with­drawal of affection and approval.

[ SEQ CHAPTER h r 1Sources: CDC/National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; Texas Department of Public Safety, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Mayo Clinic; Texas Council on Family Violence; Family Violence Prevention Services; Dr. Jeff Lohr.]

WEB sites.

• FaithTrust Institute – for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/
   
• Catholic Resources for Domestic Violence
   
• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: http://www.ncadv.org/
   
• Department of Justice/Abuse, Rape and Domestic Violence Aid and Resource Center: http://www.aardvarc.org/
   
• Texas Council on Family Violence: http://www.tcfv.org/
   
• Minnesota Center Against Vio­lence and Abuse:http://www.mincava.umn.edu/
   
• Mayo Clinic: Domestic Violence: Against women // Against men
   
• Medline: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/domesticviolence.html
   
• National Mental Health Information Center
   
• Tubman Family Alliance is a pioneer in family violence prevention in Minnesota’s Twin Cities metropolitan area with the aim of preventing and ending family violence.
   
• National Center for Injury Pre­vention and Control: http://www.cdc.gov/

Above information is from San Antonio Express/News October 28, 2003…web sites updated Feb 10, 2010

Additional information / references: (if you know of better links let us know, contact > Rob Ruhnke)

• There is divorce or staying in a bad marriage, but there is also a Third Option that may be best.
   
• Faith Trust Institute – a multifaith resourse working to end sexual & domestic violence.
   
• http://www.marriagefriendlytherapists.com/ A national listing of therapists to assist you.
   
• http://gettingtheloveyouwant.com/directory If you are seeking a therapist, you can find a list at this site.
   
• If you know your marriage is in trouble (or at least not satisfactory) and the two of you are willing to try to make it better, look at marriage enrichment options > Sustaining your marriage.