Domestic Violence Touches All of Us R Dole, LCSW Pasadena BES Group/Solutions Plus Location
In America, domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women-more than auto accidents, muggings and rapes combined. Within the same time period, 6614 troops were killed in Afghanistan and Iraq and 11766 women died due to domestic violence in the United States. Women are more likely than men to be murdered by an intimate partner. Of those killed by an intimate partner, about three quarters are female and about a quarter are male. In 1999 in the United States, 1,218 women and 424 men were killed by an intimate partner, and 1,181 females and 329 males were killed by their intimate partners in 2005.In 2007, 2,340 deaths were caused by intimate partner violence—making up 14% of all homicides. 70% of these deaths were females and 30% were males. All BES Group and Associate locations are proud to serve the community and our clients by offering certified Battering Intervention Provider Programs to address the perpetration of domestic violence. At this time BES Group only offers these services to men. We are doubly proud to have been awarded a contract with Harris County Probation to provide 18 week BIPP Domestic Violence classes to qualified participants at county expense and to begin partnering with domestic violence victim provider The Bridge Over Troubled Waters in Pasadena Texas to better meet this need in our community. It is hoped that soon workers from the Bridge will co-facilitate groups on a regular basis to provide a victim impact perspective. We also hope to assist with the needs of their clients regarding ambulatory detox, outpatient substance abuse treatment and mental health needs as needed. As a facilitator of the BIPP Domestic Violence group in Pasadena I am grateful to be a small part of a solution to such a grievous problem in Texas and the world. Most male participants have never had the opportunity to discuss what it means to be a man, spouse or father in the context they are afforded at in these classes. It is satisfying to see members seriously ponder who they are and what kind of man, spouse and father they want to be and question the attitudes, beliefs and prospective that led them to the class or a conviction for Assault on a Family Member. The numbers noted below decry the ongoing need to address and better address this serious and often fatal problem. This is a very preventable cause of death and the psychic toll on victims and children in homes that contain abuse is incalculable. Studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually. Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a breakup. Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten. Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Most often, the abuser is a member of her own family. 25% – 45% of all women who are battered are battered during pregnancy. Domestic violence does not end immediately with separation. Over 70% of the women injured in domestic violence cases are injured after separation
2013 Texas numbers on Domestic Violence: • Women Killed: 119 • Family violence incidents: 185,453 • Adults and Children Sheltered: 25,392 • Adults and Children receiving nonresidential services (i.e., counseling, legal advocacy, etc.): 49,758 • Adults denied shelter (due to lack of space): 31% • Hotline calls answered: 183,836 Let there be more peace and understanding on earth and more of it beginning with us. Sources http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/50-actual-facts-about-dom_b_2193904.html “National Data on Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Violence, and Stalking”(PDF). cdc.gov. Retrieved 24 November 2014. “NISVS: An Overview of 2010 Findings on Victimization by Sexual Orientation” (PDF). Center for Disease Control. cdc.gov.
http://domesticviolencestatistics.org/domestic-violence-statistics/ www.tcfv.org/resources/facts-and-statistics/