In their own words: An inside look at what open conversation about domestic violence looks like
One in four would like to clarify that any quotes used were used with EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION from the source. No privacy was violated...
Healing After DV
Welcome to One in Four, a personal blog following my journey through domestic violence, from the root cause all the way to the day I almost became a casualty. It is my goal to provide women with life saving information, and an eye opening look at how easy it is to become "one in four".
One in every four women will experience severe violence at the hands of an intimate partner.
Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness nationally for women.
Women injured by intimate partners account for one of every 5 emergency visits for intentional injury.
More than 1.5 million physical/sexual assaults are committed by intimate partners each year in the US.
But emergency rooms only treat around 250,000 patients for injuries inflicted by an intimate partner.
Nearly one in every 10 DV instances involves a gun.
Under federal law, any individual convicted of even a misdemeanor crime of DV is banned from owning firearms.
This amendment only covers convictions, however more than 50% of DV reamains unreported.
The amendment allows judges to DISMISS DV charges against law enforcement to prevent loss of job due to inability to own a gun.
Current court structure would require DV victims and their families to appear in multiple courts. IDV courts combine all aspects of the case before one judge.
There are only around 200 of these courts within the US
More than 60 of them are in NY state, leaving only 140 throughout the rest of the country.
DV involving a gun is 12 times more likely to end in death.
Battered women are 5 times more likely to be murdered in a shooting.
2/3 of DV fatalities involve a firearm
"To get the gun out of the home where violence is present means the difference between life and death" - Columbia Journal of Gender and Law
Domestic violence is more prevalent than we know as a general population. We must reform every aspect of how we identify DV, prosecute abusers, and help victims recover and escape DV. Current laws allow violators to hide behind loopholes, and current societal stigma discourages women to come forward. It is the job of every woman who is able to speak for those who will not, or cannot speak for themselves, and to be loud enough for them to hear us when we say "You are not alone, and this is not how it is supposed to be."
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