The Halo Bracelet
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain control over another intimate partner. The prevalence of domestic violence is arguably one of the top health concerns in the world and there are many manifestations of abuse.
- More than 1 in 3 women and more than 1 in 4 men in the U.S. report having experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
- Nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the US.
- More than 40% of all homicides of women in each state involved intimate partner violence.
- 28% of families were homeless because of domestic violence.
- Approximately 5 million children are exposed yearly to domestic violence. That is 1 in 15 children and 90% of them are eye witnesses to abuse.
- 81% of women who experienced domestic violence reported significant (both long term and short term) impacts such as post traumatic stress disorder and the anxiety of living in fear.
- Between 960,000 and 3,000,000 incidents of domestic violence are reported each year.
- On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.
- Results of research on the effectiveness of protection orders are inconsistent. Two studies have shown high re-assault rates after filing of the protection order.
- A national institute of justice study found that of stalking victims who seek protective orders, 69% of the women said their stalker violated the order. And in approximately 21% of case, violence and stalking escalate after the protective order is issued.
- Victims of intimate partner violence lose a total of 8,000,000 million days of paid work each year, the equivalent of 32,000 full time jobs.
- Intimate partner violence is estimated to cost the US economy between $5.8 billion and $12.6 billion annually, up to .125% of the national gross domestic product.
- Between 21-60% of victims of intimate partner violence lose their jobs due to reasons stemming from the abuse.
- Between 2003 and 2008, 142 women were murdered in their workplace by former or current intimate partners. This amounts to 22% of workplace homicides among women.
Child Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse of children is a pervasive, global issue. Child sexual abuse takes many forms, and they aren’t just physical. At its core, child sexual abuse is any sexual act between and adult and a minor, or between two minors when one exerts power over the other. It also includes non – contract acts such as exhibitionism, exposure to pornography, and voyeurism. Child sexual abuse can occur anywhere. It happens in places like homes, neighborhoods, schools, and youth sports environments.
- 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys are sexually abused by age of 18.
- Over 90% of offenders are someone the child knows and trusts. Hiding in plain sight, child molesters go out of their way to create the appearance of being upright, responsible citizens.
- An estimated 80 – 90% of offenders are male, while 10 to 20% of offenders are female.
- In the United States, more than 4 children die from child abuse and neglect on a daily basis. Over 70% of these children are below the age of 3.
- 2.9 million cases of child abuse are reported every year in the United States.
- Children who experience child abuse and neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit violent crimes.
- About 80% of 21 year olds who were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder.
- Children’s educators are on the front line of child sexual abuse (CSA). By confronting cases in their everyday work in the school, they hold the potential to be agents of social change – to promote detection, disclosure and intervention.
- However, research on the experience of such educators contending with CSA is limited both conceptually and methodologically.
- Having more secure measures to keep children safe can be in place with our security system.
Stalking
Stalking is generally defined as a pattern of behavior that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.
- According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 16% of women and 5% of men experienced stalking in their lifetime. More than 50% of victims who were stalked in their lifetime reported that the perpetrator had: approached them or showed up at places they frequented; threatened physical harm; damaged personal property; left unwanted text or voice messages or made unwanted phone calls.
- More than 60% of stalking victims reported that they feared harm to themselves, their partner, or family member.
- Victims also reported that they were afraid of: not knowing what would happen next (46%), that the stalking might never end (29%), or that they might die as a result of their victimization.
- Less than 40% of stalking victims reported that the police took action against the perpetrator. 32% of victims reported that law enforcement spoke to or warned the offender, while just 8% reported that the person had been arrested.
Protection Orders
In addition to potentially finding recourse through protections granted in criminal court, victims of stalking may also seek protections in civil court. In all states, a victim may seek a protection order that prevents the perpetrator from coming within a certain distance and restricts communication.
Do Protection Orders Prevent Harm?
- In March 2019, Lauren Ise was stabbed to death by her estranged boyfriend in her home.
- In December 2017, Madonna McGuire was killed in her Florida home by her estranged husband, who then killed himself.
- Shaekeya Gay was shot to death in August 2017 outside her job in North Carolina by her estranged boyfriend of two years.
- In June 2016, Stephanie Goodloe was shor and killed by her ex boyfriend in the bedroom of her home in Washington DC.
- Cassie Wagner was murdered in Oregon in September 2014 by ex boyfriend of 11 years.
- Aside from being examples of incidents of domestic violence that ended tragically, the above situation have another fact in common: in each case, the victim had a protective order against the man who ultimately ended her life.
- Protective orders aren’t a cure all and they are only effective if the abuser feels compelled to comply with them. Otherwise, the victim is still in danger.
Empowerment Practice
A cornerstone of professional practice in both professional social work and the domestic violence field is the concept of empowerment practice. Within the domestic violence field, empowerment practice is addressed first as a strategy to assist individual women to take control of their lives and second, as a strategy for taking action against domestic violence in certain communities.
The Halo Bracelet would like to join the empowerment practice to offer ease and solutions for families dealing with domestic violence.