DV - IPV Statistics

We are musing over the vital issue of Domestic Violence - Intimate Partner Violence that has been in the news, and has garnered attention recently. Yesterday we considered the fact that it traces back to the first family - Cain and Abel and the fratricide that was the first sinful result listed following the fall of man in the Garden. Today, I would like to share some stats on the extent of this sinful act.

• Every 9 seconds a woman is assaulted of beaten in the United States.
• Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Most often the abuser is a member of her own family.
• Domestice Violence is the leading cause of injury to women - more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.
• Studies suggest that up to 10 million children witness some form of domestice violence annually.
• Evry day in the United States, more than three women are murdered by their huisbands or boyfriends.
• Domestic Violence victims lose nearly 8 million days of paid work per year in the United States alone - the equivalent of 32,000 full-time jobs.
• The costs of Intimate Partner Violence in the United States alone exceed $5.8 billion per year, $4.1 billion are for direct medical and health care services. The remainder is productivity losses of nearly $1.8 billion.
• Men who as children witnessed their parents' Domestic Violence were twice as likely to abuse their own wives than sons of nonviolent parents.

As we ponder these facts today, let us lift our hearts and voices to God on behalf of those caught up in this horrible sin. We need to pray for the victims - and their abusers. We need to seek God to intervene in the many situations going on around us. Join me in prayer today for the many who are hurting, the many who are causing the hurt, and those who are forced to watch this hurt.