Domestic Violence Services

What is Domestic Violence?

Domestic violence can be defined as a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner.

Abuse is physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure or wound someone.

Domestic violence can happen to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender. It can happen to couples who are married, living together or who are dating. Domestic violence affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels.

(Source: National Domestic Violence Hotline http://www.ndvh.org/)

Did You Know?

1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime.¹
Approximately 1.5 million U.S. women and 835,000 U.S. men are raped or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, cohabiting partner, or date each year.²
In 2001, there were 691,710 nonfatal incidents of violence committed by the current or former spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends of the victims.³
Nearly 5.3 million incidents of Intimate Partner Violence occur each year among U.S. women ages 18 and older, and 3.2 million occur among men. Most assaults are relatively minor and consist of pushing, grabbing, shoving, slapping, and hitting. ⁴

1 Tjaden, Patricia & Thoennes, Nancy. National Institute of Justice and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, “Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence.” (2000)
2 Tjaden P, Thoennes N. "Full Report of the Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women". Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice and CDC, 2000 (NCJ183781)www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles1/nij/183781.txt.
3 U.S. Department of Justice, "Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey" (1998)
4 Tjaden P, Thoennes N. "Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence: Findings From the National Violence Against Women Survey". Washington (DC): Department of Justice (US); 2000a. Publication No. NCJ 181867. [cited 2005 September 15]. Available from: URL: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/181867.htm.

What To Do

If you or someone you know is in a violent relationship or you are fearful for your safety or that of someone else, there are a number of resources available to you.

First and foremost, go somewhere safe. Go to a neighbor or a public place and call your local law enforcement or dial 9 - 1 - 1.

There are advocacy and informational services available within Racine County as well as on the Internet. Use the following links to learn more about Domestic Violence and where you can get help:

The Women’s Resource Center
http://wrcracine.com
24 Hour Crisis Line: 262-633-3233

National Domestic Violence Hotline
http://www.ndvh.org
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
http://www.ncadv.org/

National Center for Victims of Crime
http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/Main.aspx