Marriage and Family: Chapter 11

Criminal laws

"any criminal offense involving violence or physical harm or threat of violence or physical harm" committed by one family or household member against another.Other terms used across the States include "domestic assault," "domestic battery," "domestic abuse," or "assault against a family or household member."

Statistics on sexual assault

-Females age 12 or older experienced an estimated 182,000 rapes or sexual assaults in 2008. -Men ages 12 or older experienced 40,000 rapes or sexual assaults -One in five rapes or sexual assaults were committed by an intimate partner. -Rape is on of the most frequently committed but underreported

general trends (statistics) in IPV

-The annual cost of intimate partner violence has exceeded $8.3 billion, about 4 billion of that in health care costs alone -In 2008, females age 12 or older experienced about 552,000 nonfatal violent victimization (rape/sexual assault, assault, robbery) by an intimate partner -In the same year, men experienced 101,000 nonfatal incidents by intimate partner. -The rate of intimate partner victimization for female was 4.3 victims per 1,000 females age 12 and older and .8 for men.

sexual abuse

Any sexual contact that is forced upon a person against his or her will

Legal Definitions: Domestic Violence

Civil: attempting to cause or causing bodily injury to a family or household member or placing a family or household member by threat of force in fear of imminent physical harm." -Other terms used across the States include "abuse," "domestic abuse," and "family violence."

media

Heavy exposure to violence in the media tends to normalize it

violence against women

In the US, intimate partner violence: -Ranks as one of the nation's most expensive health problems

legal definition of rape

Includes any gender of victim or perpetrator, and includes instances in which the victim is incapable of giving consent because of temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity, including due to the influence of drugs or alcohol or because of age. The ability of the victim to give consent must be determined in accordance with state statute. Physical resistance from the victim is not required to demonstrate lack of consent.

Clinical Definition: Domestic Violence

a pattern of assaultive and/or coercive behaviors, including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks, as well as economic coercion, that adults or adolescents use against their intimate partners.

myth #6

battered women are masochistic and provoke abuse and they must like it or they would leave

myth #4

domestic violence is a "loss of control" and only mentally ill or "sick" people abuse family members

myth #5

domestic violence is more common in heterosexual than in same-sex relationships

a historical context in IPV

domestic violence is the single greatest cause of injury to women -exceeding rape, muggings, and auto accidents combined

myth #3

domestic violence occurs in poor, poorly educated, minority, or "dysfunctional" families in urban inner-city communities

myth #1

family violence is rare

myth #2

men are equally victims of domestic violence

men's proclivity to rape/rape syndrome

the group of factors that collectively characterize men's likelihood to rape

family violence

the use of physical force by one family member against another, with the intent to hurt, injure, or cause death