According to the National Coalition of Domestic Violence, “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, economic, and emotional/psychological abuse. The frequency and severity of domestic violence varies dramatically.”

 

“1 in 4 women experience sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime with ‘IPV-related impact’ such as being concerned for their safety, PTSD symptoms, injury, or needing victim services (Smith, S.G., Zhang, X., Basile, K.C., et al., 2018).”

 

Specifically in Milwaukee County in 2017, The Department of Justice reported that of 9,756 domestic violence cases, incidents and arrests 7,934 were female victims. Furthermore, of those 7,934 female victims, more than 3,500 were between the ages of 18 to 30. In addition, more than 5,000 of the 7,943 female victims were identified as black (Department of Justice, 2017).

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