Domestic violence continues to be one of the most serious issues in American society, despite recent and continued efforts to bring awareness to the issue and, as such, end it. The issue is one even more grave than war: between 2001 and 2012 approximately 6,500 American troops died in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. During the same time period, more than 11,765 American women were murdered by current or ex-male partners. That is an average of three women every day being murdered by current or former male partners. This statistic is even worse if the woman is disabled: women with disabilities are 40 percent more likely to be a victim of domestic violence than women without disabilities.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the vast majority of victims of domestic violence are women—85 percent of all reported cases of abuse victims are women. There is more than one type of domestic violence. Physical and emotional abuse are the most common. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, physical abuse can have many forms. In addition to physical violence, physical abuse can include:
- Driving recklessly;
- Preventing you from seeking help from authorities;
- Abandoning you when you have no recourse;
- Trapping you in your home; or
- Punching walls, kicking doors, etc.
While physical abuse is obviously the most black and white when it comes to identification, emotional and financial abuse can be devastating as well. Emotional abuse can include isolating a person from her friends or family, refusing to trust a person or acting unjustifiably jealous, serially cheating and blaming a partner for the behavior, or just calling a person rude or insensitive names. Every year, there are 18.5 million mental health care visits resulting from intimate partner violence annually.
If you or someone you know has been arrested on domestic violence charges, the most important step is to seek legal counsel. Contact an experienced San Jose criminal attorney today.