Quick Facts on Teen Dating Abuse
- According to the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, women age 16 to 24 experience the highest rates of rape and sexual assault, and people age 18 and 19 experience the highest rates of stalking.
- Some one in three adolescent girls in the U.S. is a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, which far exceeds victimization rates for other types of violence affecting youth. [The National Council on Crime and Delinquency Focus ]
- Nationwide, nearly one in ten high school students (8.9 percent) has been hit, slapped or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds. [Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States, 2003]
- One in five tweens – age 11 to 14 – say their friends are victims of dating violence and nearly half who are in relationships know friends who are verbally abused. Two in five of those age 11 to 12 say their friends are victims of verbal abuse in relationships. [Teenage Research Unlimited for Liz Claiborne Inc., “Tween and Teen Dating Violence and Abuse Study”]
- Teen victims of physical dating violence are more likely than their non-abused peers to smoke, use drugs, engage in unhealthy diet behaviors (taking diet pills or laxatives and vomiting to lose weight), engage in risky sexual behaviors, and attempt or consider suicide. [Silverman, J, Raj A, et al, “Dating Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Associated Substance Use, Unhealthy Weight Control, Sexual Risk Behavior, Pregnancy, and Suicidality,” 2001]
Facts on Immigrant Women and Domestic Violence
Immigrant women often feel trapped in abusive relationships because of immigration laws, language barriers, social isolation, and lack of financial resources.1 Despite recent federal legislation that has opened new and safe routes to immigration status for some immigrant women who are victims of domestic violence, abuse is still a significant problem for immigrant women, as it is for all women in the United States.
- A recent study in New York City found that 51 percent of intimate partner homicide victims were foreign-born, while 45 percent were born in the United States.2
- Forty-eight percent of Latinas in one study reported that their partner’s violence against them had increased since they immigrated to the United States.3
- A survey of immigrant Korean women found that 60 percent had been battered by their husbands.4
- Married immigrant women experience higher levels of physical and sexual abuse than unmarried immigrant women, 59.5 percent compared to 49.8 percent, respectively.5
- Abusers often use their partners’ immigration status as a tool of control.6 In such situations, it is common for a batterer to exert control over his partner’s immigration status in order to force her to remain in the relationship.7
- Immigrant women often suffer higher rates of battering than U.S. citizens because they may come from cultures that accept domestic violence or because they have less access to legal and social services than U.S. citizens. Additionally, immigrant batterers and victims may believe that the penalties and protections of the U.S. legal system do not apply to them.8
- Battered immigrant women who attempt to flee may not have access to bilingual shelters, financial assistance, or food. It is also unlikely that they will have the assistance of a certified interpreter in court, when reporting complaints to the police or a 911 operator, or even in acquiring information about their rights and the legal system.9
REFERENCES
1 Orloff, Leslye and Rachael Little. 1999. “Somewhere to Turn: Making Domestic Violence Services Accessible to Battered Immigrant Women.” A ‘How To’ Manual for Battered Women’s Advocates and Service Providers. Ayuda Inc.
2 Femicide in New York City: 1995-2002. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygeine, October 2004. http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/doh/html/public/press04/pr145-1022.html
3 Dutton, Mary; Leslye Orloff, and Giselle Aguilar Hass. 2000. “Characteristics of Help-Seeking Behaviors, Resources, and Services Needs of Battered Immigrant Latinas: Legal and Policy Implications.” Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy. 7(2).
4 Tjaden, Patricia and Nancy Thoennes. 2000. Extent, Nature and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. The National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 9, 2004. http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/nij/183781.pdf.
5 Dutton, Mary; Leslye Orloff, and Giselle Aguilar Hass. 2000. “Characteristics of Help-Seeking Behaviors, Resources, and Services Needs of Battered Immigrant Latinas: Legal and Policy Implications.” Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy. 7(2).
6 Dutton, Mary; Leslye Orloff, and Giselle Aguilar Hass. 2000. “Characteristics of Help-Seeking Behaviors, Resources, and Services Needs of Battered Immigrant Latinas: Legal and Policy Implications.” Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy. 7(2).
7 Orloff, Leslye and Janice V. Kaguyutan. 2002. “Offering a Helping Hand: Legal Protections for Battered Immigrant Women: A History of Legislative Responses.” Journal of Gender, Social Policy, and the Law. 10(1): 95-183.
8 Orloff et al., 1995. “With No Place to Turn: Improving Advocacy for Battered Immigrant Women.” Family Law Quarterly. 29(2):313.
9 Orloff et al., 1995. “With No Place to Turn: Improving Advocacy for Battered Immigrant Women.” Family Law Quarterly. 29(2):313.
