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Domestic violence is a key barrier to self-sufficiency for women, creates a risky environment for children, and it also takes a toll on employers and others who, though not directly involved in the abuse, nonetheless suffer the consequences.
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Domestic violence is estimated to occur in one in six homes, and can be a root cause of so many other social ills (delinquency, alcohol and drug abuse, hunger and homelessness)
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One in four Colorado women report experiencing an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime, however, fewer than half of sexual assaults are ever reported to the police. In 2008, TESSA advocates served almost 400 sexual assault survivors, including responding to 196 victims at Memorial Hospital.
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Six people were killed in the Pikes Peak Region during family violence incidents in 2008, three of them were children.
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The Colorado Springs Police Department receives between 15,000 to 20,000 domestic violence calls per year, and approximately 20% to 30% of local homicides each year are domestic-violence related. Last year, TESSA received almost 13,400 calls through the crisis line.
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Of all female murder victims in the United States, 30% were slain by their husbands or boyfriends.
Domestic violence victims face unique problems in seeking and obtaining assistance. The isolation, control, and brutality of domestic violence can undercut a victim’s physical or emotional capacity to seek help. Further, leaving the abusive relationship may actually put the victim at greater risk, often the most lethal violence occurs after the victim leaves. Children are often caught in the crossfire of domestic violence – either as witness to the violence, as a pawn for the offender, or as the target of abuse themselves. In fact, domestic violence is the single, major precursor to child abuse and neglect fatalities in the United States, and studies show that 30% to 60% of households with domestic violence also have child abuse (Edleson, 2000). In homes with domestic violence, 77% of children report witnessing the violence even when one or both parents reported that their children had not. Children exposed to family violence are found to have a higher risk of behavioral problems, suicide attempts/completions, excessive alcohol and other drug use, eating disorders, and becoming adult batterers/victims. Perhaps most distressing, they are at higher risk of growing up to perpetuate the cycle of violence, either by being a victim or a batterer (Straus, Gelles, Steinmetz, 1981). The complexity and lethality of domestic violence suggest that highly trained, confidential advocates play an important role in helping victims understand the nature of the abuse, their options for safety, and the paths for holding the offender accountable (understanding the criminal justice process).
Sexual assault victims are even more reluctant than domestic violence victims to seek help, and many times they are one in the same. In a Massachusetts study, over 50% of domestic violence victims has been raped by their abuser, and none of them reported it in their request for a protection order. Indeed, only 16% of sexual assault victims report the crime, while one in four Colorado women and one in 17 Colorado men report that they have experienced a completed or attempted sexual assault in their lifetime (Sexual Assault in Colorado: Results of a 1998 Statewide Survey).
The Colorado Springs Police Department reports that there were just over 334 forcible rapes reported and substantiated during 2008 (an increase of 17% over last year). TESSA is the only organization in El Paso County that provides a 24/7 Rape Crisis Line and confidential advocacy services to sexual assault victims (adults only). Further, we provide individual and group counseling to sexual assault survivors, and conduct community education on the issue. We also respond 24/7 to adult sexual assault and domestic violence survivors who present at local hospitals and law enforcement stations. In 2008, TESSA’s Advocacy department served over 2,500 clients at the main office and court house, helping them to pursue temporary protection orders, to develop safety plans, to understand the dynamic and manifestations of domestic violence and sexual assault, to understand and potentially access community resources to help them increase their safety, support them during the court process, and accompany them to the hospital after a sexual assault.
For more information on how to obtain a protection order, please click here.
