Media Fact Sheet

 

Domestic Violence

 

• 1 in 3 homicides in Virginia are due to family or intimate partner violence. (Virginia Medical Examiner’s 2010 Report)


• On average, intimate partner homicide occurs every 5 to 7 days in Virginia. (Virginia Medical Examiner’s 2010 Report)


• There were 517 women, children and men staying in a domestic violence emergency shelter on an average night in Virginia in 2010, a 10% increase from 2008. (Action Alliance 2010 VAdata Report)

• In 2010, 2,571 families seeking shelter could not be served because the shelter was full. (Action Alliance 2010 VAdata Report)
  

• In 2010, 34% of people receiving domestic violence advocacy services had to relocate or became homeless as a result of the domestic violence. (Action Alliance 2010 VAdata Report)

• In 2010, the number of adults and children receiving domestic violence advocacy services in Virginia increased by 17% since 2008. 6% of the children/youth served were victims of teen dating violence. (Action Alliance 2010 VAdata Report)

• In addition to an increase in emergency shelter, domestic violence programs in Virginia reported providing transitional housing to 163 families, including 171 children, in 2010.   Transitional housing programs provide essential support for victims of domestic violence and their children as they transition from emergency shelter to independent living.  (Action Alliance 2010 VAdata Report)
  

• In 2010, 20% of people receiving domestic violence advocacy services reported the perpetrator used a weapon, including a firearm against the victim. (Action Alliance VAdata Report)

• Each year, approximately one in four teens reports being the victim of teen dating violence, ranging from physical abuse to stalking to emotional abuse to sexual violence. (U.S. Department of Justice)


• One in five high school girls has been physically or sexually abused, not by a stranger, but by a dating partner.  (U.S. Department of Justice)


• People age 18 and 19 experience the highest rates of stalking. (U.S. Department of Justice)

Sexual Violence

• 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. (National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)


• Women age 16 to 24 experience the highest rates of rape and sexual assault. (U.S. Department of Justice)


• Approximately 2/3 of rapes are committed by someone known to the victim. (U.S. Department of Justice)


• Rape is the most costly of all crimes to its victims in the U.S., with total estimated costs at $127 billion a year (excluding the cost of child sexual abuse).  (National Association to End Sexual Violence)

• In 2010, the number of adults and children receiving sexual violence advocacy services in Virginia increased by 36% since 2008. 18% of the children receiving services were sexually violated by their parent. (Action Alliance 2010 VAdata Report)


• In 2010, 36% of the people receiving sexual violence advocacy reported missed time from work/school and/or lost income as a result of the sexual violence. (Action Alliance 2010 VAdata Report)

• In 2010, 50% of people receiving advocacy services in Virginia reported their sexual violence experience to police. (Action Alliance 2010 VAdata Report)

 

Media Liaison: Gena Boyle, gboyle@vsdvalliance.org or 804.874.4734 (c)

 

For more information E-mail Info@vsdvalliance.org. E-mail is not a secure form of communication. To ensure confidentiality please call the Family Violence & Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.838.8238 (V/TTY).