WHO IS AFFECTED BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?

Domestic violence may occur in the lives of persons of all ages, cultural/ethnic/religious groups, genders, and social classes. It is one of the most common but least reported crimes, so it is impossible to know the actual incidence and prevalence. Feelings of shame, fear, and hopelessness often prevent victims from seeking protection and support. Many victims of such abuse do not report domestic violence to their physicians or to anyone else. However, the few statistics available confirm that the problem is pervasive and alarming.

Domestic violence is viewed as an ongoing and widespread problem in Kentucky. In 2020, 23,262 domestic violence–related protection orders and 4,129 interpersonal violence–related protective orders were filed with Kentucky courts (KY Court of Justice, 2020).

Domestic Violence among Women

Victims of domestic violence are usually women and children. Perpetrators of domestic violence are generally, though not always, men. Nearly 1 in 6 homicide victims in the United States is killed by an intimate partner, and nearly half of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former male intimate partner. Many victims do not report IPV to police, friends, health professionals, or family, so these statistics underestimate the problem (CDC, 2019).

Teens and Dating Violence

Teen dating violence is another form of intimate partner violence that is disturbingly common among high school students and can result in serious short- and long-term effects. The nature of dating violence can be physical, emotional, or sexual. Dating violence can also include stalking and can take place in person or electronically.

As with adult victims of IPV, many teens do not report their victimization. About 1 in 12 U.S. high school students have experienced physical dating violence, and the same number have experienced sexual dating violence.

Community-based programs can assist young people by teaching them about healthy relationship strategies (CDC, 2023).

Domestic Violence among Older Adults

Abuse of older adults may be missed by professionals who work with these patients because of a lack of training in detecting abuse. Abuse may go unreported by the victims themselves because they may be unable physically or cognitively to seek help, they do not want to get the abuser in trouble, or they fear retaliation. Various studies on elder abuse present different findings, but the most common type of elder abuse is financial, followed by neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. Elder abuse may also take the form of emotional abuse, abandonment, or self-neglect.

Kentucky does not have a specific elder abuse law. Instead, the law provides for protection of all adults age 18 and over “who because of a mental or physical dysfunction cannot carry out the activities of daily living or protect themselves from others who may abuse, neglect, or exploit them” (RAINN, 2020a).

Domestic Violence among Racial and Ethnic Groups

Domestic violence is a crime without cultural boundaries. It affects people from all walks of life regardless of race, religion, or economic class, but Black, indigenous, and other people of color experience IPV disproportionately, which leads to higher rates of depression, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts. The desire or ability to report the crime and the victim’s access to services may also be affected by the person’s culture. Therefore, it is essential for health professionals to screen all patients consistently (Goodman, 2021).

Although nearly 95% of Kentucky residents are reported to speak English, language barriers can also be an obstacle to seeking help. Spanish is the most common language after English, and it is spoken by less than 3% of the total population (Data USA, 2020).

Domestic Violence and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, and Intersex Persons (LGBTQI+)

Intimate partner violence in LGBTQI+ relationships is not unlike that which occurs in heterosexual relationships. One partner exhibits a pattern of abusive behavior in an effort to control and intimidate the other. The prevalence is difficult to quantify because crime reports may list the persons as roommates, and not all LGBTQI+ survivors disclose their sexual orientation or gender identification when reporting IPV. Some reports state the rate of IPV as comparable to the rate in heterosexual relationships (Yale University, 2020).

Persons who identify as LGBTQI+ face unique barriers to accessing services or reporting to the police:

• A LGBTQI+ victim may fear that the abuser will reveal their sexual orientation or biological gender to family, friends, or coworkers.
• Abusers may threaten to reveal an infected person’s positive HIV status to others or to transmit HIV to the victim if they are HIV negative.
• These individuals fear institutional discrimination and homophobic or transphobic care providers.
• A transgender person may not have undergone sexual reassignment surgery and may avoid a physical exam by a clinician that might include observation of their genitals.
• LGBTQI+ communities in many areas are small, which makes maintaining privacy more difficult.
• LGBTQI+ individuals may not want to report for fear of perpetuating negative stereotypes.
  (Yale University, 2020)

Law enforcement authorities may not recognize same-sex individuals as intimate or domestic partners and may have a difficult time determining the primary abuser or that the assaultive behavior is actually a domestic crime. Access to services is severely limited by lack of domestic violence shelters that serve male and transgender victims. Sensitivity to the needs of these individuals is paramount to effecting social change and helping victims receive needed assistance.

Domestic Violence and the U.S. Military

A survey by the Department of Defense recorded over 40,000 incidents of domestic violence from 2015 through 2019. Seventy-four percent of those incidents were physical abuse. The U.S. Government Accountability Office identified several gaps in the military’s training, implementation, and data collection of domestic violence among service members.

Military regulations require that all military officials report any suspicion of family violence to a Family Advocacy agent. Officials include commanders, first sergeants, supervisors, medical professionals, teachers, and police officers.

If the abuser is a military member, the military justice system is implemented. Family Advocacy personnel conduct an investigation, intervene, and provide treatment. They may substantiate the abuse, but if there is insufficient legal evidence, there may be no punishment for the abuser. There is no confidentiality in the military, as there is with civilian advocacy, and any pertinent statements that are made during interactions with Family Advocacy are recorded and passed on to the legal sector (GAO, 2021).

If there is sufficient legal evidence, the military justice system may reprimand the abuser or mandate extra training or counseling. Reprimands are recorded and can negatively affect the subject’s career. In many cases, the subject is required to be separated from their spouse and required to be housed in barracks until an investigation has been completed, and the subject may be issued a no-contact order with the victim.

Military spouses may decide not to report the abuse for all of the same reasons that civilian victims do not report. They may also hesitate because the accusation may negatively impact their spouse’s career. In fact, a military member who is a domestic abuser is 23% more likely to be discharged than a nonabuser, and if not discharged, is likely to be promoted more slowly than a nonabuser. The federal government provides limited financial protection (up to 36 months) to the abused spouse if the military member is discharged for the abuse of a spouse or dependent child (Powers, 2016).