Dometic Abuse is a shockingly common occurrence in the United States, with Kentucky having the highest rates, with 45% of women and 35% of men experiencing domestic abuse. According to the CDC about 1 in 4 women and 1 and 7 men will experience physical domestic abuse in their lifetime. However, domestic abuse goes far beyond just physical. There is emotional and verbal abuse that many people experience in their day-to-day life that they may not even recognize as abuse. Addtiuonnly, this type of abuse is one of the hardest to identify so this mixed with the social stigmas of only physical abuse is “real” abuse cause many to turn a blind eye. It is also disheartening to hear that most people experiencing this intimate partner violence are those in the 18-24 age range. These are young women and men in life just starting to understand what it means to be an adult; however, due to lack of awareness and education so many have to suffer in silence.
If you are someone you know is experiencing domestic violence of any sort the best thing to do is not tell them what to do but to provide them with information as a way to “ lend a helping hand”. Anyone can do this by giving resources or hotlines to what are known as Domestic Abuse Shelters/ Centers. These organizations will have many resources to help victims at no cost.
Please reach out if you feel that you or someone you know is experiencing Domestic Abuse
References
https://www.domesticshelters.org/resources/statistics/demographics-and-domestic-violence
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499891/