Impact on Children

Domestic violence not only affects those who are abused, but children as well. Children, who witness family violence, are the most affected. Exposure to domestic violence at home can bring serious problems such as physical and mental abuse. Domestic violence can teach children that violence is normal and it increases the chances of continuing the cycle of abuse as future victims or abusers.

• Battered women are not the only victims of abuse - it is estimated that anywhere between 3.3 million and 10 million children witness domestic violence annually. (www.abanet.org)
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• More than 50% of female victims of intimate violence live in households with children under age 12 (www.loveisnotabuse.com)
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• The majority of the perpetrators of child sexual abuse are persons known to the child, either as a relative, caretaker, teacher, neighbor, etc. (www.TAASA.org)
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• Children who live with domestic violence face increased risks: the risk of exposure to traumatic events, the risk of neglect, the risk of being directly abused, and the risk of losing one or both of their parents (www.nrcdv.org)
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• Youth who witness domestic violence are more likely to attempt suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away from home, commit other delinquent behavior, engage in teenage prostitution, and commit sexual assault crimes. (www.vawnet.org)
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