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of Sumner, Wilson, Robertson and Trousdale Counties, Inc.

  
  
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ABUSE…WHAT IS IT?

ABUSE…OUR DEFINTIONS

Domestic Abuse:

Domestic abuse is a system of coercive behaviors used by adults or adolescents to establish and maintain power and control over a partner or family member.

Physical Abuse:
Cycle of Violence
Examples of physical abuse include looming over you, getting in your face, blocking a doorway, grabbing you if you try to leave, kicking, punching, biting, slapping, choking/strangling, threatening to harm you, using weapons, throwing or breaking things, punching walls, driving recklessly, burning, pulling hair, stabbing, trying to confine you, preventing you from seeking medical care, and murder.

Mental/Emotional Abuse:
Some examples of emotional abuse are giving intimidating looks and gestures, playing mind games, twisting the facts around, making you feel like you’re losing your mind, not accepting blame, wrongful accusations, lying, manipulation, insults, humiliation and/or making you feel badly about yourself, not listening to your point of view, being jealous or possessive, excessive paging or calling, intercepting your phone message or emails, not allowing you to have or limiting contact with friends or family, controlling where you go and when, stalking, accusations of cheating, using male privilege.

Verbal Abuse:
Verbal abuse includes all of the following yelling, shouting, swearing, continuously arguing, interrupting, talking over you, put downs, name calling, talking down to you or patronizing you, using loud and threatening tones and language, intimidating you, mocking you, abusive language, and threatening to take the children away or report you to the authorities.

Sexual Abuse:
Unwanted sexual touching, vulgar comments, pressure for sex, treating you like an object, forcing you to use or not use birth control, forcing you to get pregnant or to have an abortion, forcing you to have sex with other people, forcing you to participate in pornography, or date or marital rape are all serious sexual abuses.

Economic Abuse:
Economic abuse is used to trap people in an abusive situations such as withholding money, making you ask for money, not allowing access to financial accounts, giving you an allowance, not allowing you to work or get an education, putting all bills/credit cards in your name, preventing use of a vehicle.

Statistics about Domestic Violence:

Governor Haslam’s Public Safety Action Plan released January 2012 included these findings:
*    In 2009, Tennessee ranked 5th in the nation in domestic violence homicides;
*    In 2010, domestic violence victims made up over half (51%) of all reported crimes against persons in TN.

  • Domestic violence is the violence that occurs between persons who are or use to be household members and includes physical, emotional, mental, or sexual abuse.
  • Domestic, dating, and sexual violence are costly and pervasive problems in this country causing victims, witnesses, children, and bystanders in every community to suffer incalculable pain and loss.
  • One in 4 women has been a victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in her lifetime. About 1 in 7 men have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime.
    *  During 2010, Law Enforcement in Sumner, Wilson, and Robertson Counties reported 411 domestic aggravated assaults and 2,352 domestic simple assaults.
  • About 95% of all domestic violence victims are female and 5% are men. Most male victims are assaulted by other men.
  • Estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year. Possibly 5.3 millionsince most go unreported.
  • Homicide:

    *    During 2010, Law Enforcement reported a total of Six Homicides:
          Sumner County – Four (4); Wilson County – One (1); Robertson County – One (1)

  • Children:

    *    50% of the men who assault their wives also frequently abuse their children.
    *    Children who witness violence in the household have a higher chance to transmit it from one generation to another.
    *    15.5 million children in the United States live in families in which domestic violence occurred at least once in the past year, and seven million children live in families in which severe domestic violence occurs.

  • The cost of domestic violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year in health related costs, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health services.

 

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