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Domestic Violence
Domestic violence can affect anyone.
It affects people of all different ages, gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, races, ethnicities, religious backgrounds, income levels and amount of education. of any age, background .
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If you are being abused by your partner, know there is nothing you have done or are doing to cause the abuse. It is solely the choice of the abuser to abuse. It may seem impossible to escape your abuser, change your circumstances, or find the help you need, but it is possible. However, you know your abuser best, so think carefully through your situation and circumstances and do what is the best for you.
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If you are in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.
For anonymous, confidential help, 24/7, please call the SCIP Crisis Line: 308-284-6055.
Common Questions
What is domestic violence?
Domestic violence is a pattern of violence and coercive behaviors to gain power and control against an intimate partner.
Who is an intimate partner?
An intimate partner is a person in an interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Intimate relationships may also be a non-sexual relationship involving family, friends, or acquaintances.
What does abuse look like?
Domestic violence does not look the same in every relationship because each relationship is different. There is one thing that most abusive relationships have in common. The abusive partner uses different kinds of methods to control their partner.
What does a victim look like?
Anyone can be a victim of domestic violence. It can happen regardless of race/ethnicity, age, gender, or sexual orientation. Domestic violence crosses every sector of life; it doesn’t distinguish between income level, employment status or religious preference.
What does an abuser look like?
Just as anyone can be a victim, anyone can be an abuser. Being employed or unemployed does not indicate whether someone is abusive or not. Age, race/ethnicity, or religious preference does not determine whether a person is abusive. Being abusive is not solely caused by alcohol, mental illness, drugs, stress, or lack of employment.
Some Facts about Domestic Violence
1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking with impacts such as injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, use of victim services, contraction of sexually transmitted diseases, etc.
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On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.
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Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime.
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On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.
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The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%.
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Only 34% of people who are injured by intimate partners receive medical care for their injuries.
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The Power and Control Wheel
Domestic violence is a combination of a number of different tactics of abuse.
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These behaviors are used as a means gain and maintain power and control — which are the words in the very center of the wheel.
The middle circle is surrounded by different sets of behaviors that an abusive partner uses in order to maintain this power and control.
