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Facts on Domestic Abuse
Document Author: Susan Schechter &
Jeffrey L. Edleson
Contact: In the Best Interest of Women and Children (1994)
Date Posted: 7/01
- Woman battering and child abuse often occur in the
same family.
- Large-scale studies show that approximately 50% of
men who batter their women partners also abuse the children in their home.
- One study showed that of 200 substantiated cases of
child abuse, 30% of the cases showed evidence of adult domestic violence.
- An in-depth understanding of how these two forms of
violence are linked and how, if at all, they interact to create greater
dangers is not available.
- Child welfare and domestic violence programs serve
large numbers of single-mothers and their children.
- Women separated from violent partners make up a
large proportion of battered women (44% in one Minnesota study). These women
are often mothers with children.
- Child welfare programs also serve single-mothers.
Data show that from 32.5% to 72% of those receiving child welfare services
are single, female-headed households.
- An estimated 3.3. to 10 million children witness
domestic violence each year.
- Multiple studies have found increased problems
among children who witness domestic violence.
- Current studies are inadequate: they focus on
shelter residents in crisis, don't separate abused from witnesses, and
seldom focus on resilience.
Top
What
Can You Do?
Support Legislative Policy Makers
- Initiate legislation that recognizes and
supports collaborative efforts to create a comprehensive, coordinated
community response to Domestic Violence
- Sponsor and enact legislation that enhances law
enforcement response to Domestic Violence as a crime.
- Re-categorize funding to enable survivors of
Domestic Violence and their children access to appropriate services that
ensure safety
Highlight system reform efforts:
Consumer driven, culturally competent, respectful, flexible
response
Transportation
Child care
Substance abuse services
Increase support for safe in-home services
Support strength-based solution focused
strategies for dealing with child abuse, neglect, and Domestic Violence.
Promote public awareness and public information
campaigns
- Prevention
- Early Intervention
Top
Solutions
Working group
Purpose of Group:
Find common ground goals for collaboration. Work together to increase
safety for Survivors of Domestic Violence and their children.
Action steps
- Share information/address myths about each
program.
- Assess potential for resource sharing.
- Where are we compatible? Where are there
inconsistencies/barriers? How can we overcome those barriers?
- Training: Transferable? Adaptable
-
Committees: Finance,
Training, Site Development, Strategic Planning
Plan
- Five Demonstration Sites in Shelters serving 14
counties for in-home services.
- Two Day Training for all FP Workers, eventually
all Child Welfare.
- FP Training available to Domestic Violence
Programs
- Consistent, high quality uniform training for
Domestic Violence Programs.
- More and consistent support/continuation of
services.
- Provide respectful and culturally competent
services.
From the National CASA Site:
Addressing the Effects of Domestic Violence on Children
More Articles:Why
Children are in Foster Care
Link between Animal and Child
Abuse
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