Domestic Violence/Family Violence- this is a subject I am not thrilled to blog about…..then why write about it???  It came to me on one of those long and hot “dog days of summer.”  I had a rare quiet moment at the Social Science, Philosophy & Religion Reference Desk.  To get me out of my lunch-induced lethargic state, I started to think of my favorite time of year - autumn. I decided to reach for the Chase’s Calendar of Events and took it off the shelf.  I thumbed to October hoping to find a listing of fun events that would boost my energy.  I found a lot of those fun events, but what caught my attention was the listing “DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH.”   It read: “Oct 1-31.  Commemorated since 1987, this month attempts to raise awareness of efforts to end violence against women and their children.”  It jogged my memory.  I was reminded that I noticed an increase of questions pertaining to domestic violence.  At that moment I found the energy I was seeking, but for completely different reasons.  I decided to use this sudden energy surge to research further.

These are some of my findings:

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV): “Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another.  It includes physical violence, sexual violence, threats, and emotional abuse.  The frequency and severity of domestic violence can vary dramatically.”

NCADV also revealed some frightening statistics:

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN CALIFORNIA

• 32.9% of California women and 27.3 % of California men experience intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner sexual violence and/or intimate partner stalking in their lifetimes.
• In 2007, there were 174,649 domestic violence-related calls to law enforcement; many other incidents went unreported. 40% of reported incidents involved weapons.
• Rape crisis centers served 31,790 survivors of sexual violence between 2011 and 2012 in California.
• In a single day, domestic violence shelters served almost 5,800 women and children.
• A forcible rape occurs every 56 minutes in California.
• Between 2009 and 2011, while other types of homicides decreased, domestic violence fatalities in California increased by 11%.  Domestic violence homicides comprise 11.8% of all California homicides.
• As of December 31, 2015, California had submitted 8,245 domestic violence misdemeanor convictions and ten domestic violence protective orders to the NICS Index.

DID YOU KNOW?

• 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in the United States have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.
• On a typical day, domestic violence hotlines receive approximately 21,000 calls, approximately 15 calls every minute.
• Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime.
• The presence of a gun in the home during a domestic violence incident increases the risk of homicide by at least 500%.
• 72% of all murder-suicides involved an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these crimes are female.

Here is a list of books available in the Social Sciences Department of Central Library, if you would like learn more: 

Abused men: the hidden side of domestic violence by Philip W. Cook
364.155 C771 2009

Battered women’s protective strategies: stronger than you know by Sherry L. Hamby
364.155 H199

Equality with a vengeance: men’s rights groups, battered women, and antifeminist backlash by Molly Dragiewicz
364.155 D759

Frequently asked questions about family violence by Vanessa Lynn Michaels
364.155 M621

Hiding from reality: my story of love, loss, and finding the courage within by Taylor Armstrong
364.155 A738

A troubled marriage: domestic violence and the legal system by Leigh Goodmark
364.155 G653

Violent no more: helping men end domestic abuse by Michael Paymar
364.155 P344 2015

When women sexually abuse men: the hidden side of rape, stalking, harassment, and sexual assault by Philip W. Cook and Tammy L. Hodo
364.155 C771-1

Please note: This is not a comprehensive list of books.  For more information, please check our catalog or ask a librarian for assistance.