DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Myths and Facts about Domestic Violence
MYTH: Domestic violence is not common.
FACT: Every 9 seconds in the United States, a man beats a woman. In Oregon, crisis
service hotlines annually receive more than 50,000 emergency calls and 37,000 non
emergency calls from survivors of domestic violence.
IMYTII: Domestic violence happens only in low-income families.
FACT: Domestic violence happens in all kinds of families, rich and poor, urban, subur
ban and rural, in every part of the country, in every racial, religious and age group.
MYTH: Alcohol and drugs cause domestic violence.
FACT: Alcohol and drugs do not cause domestic violence. Domestic violence is a
choice. Many abusers will make sure they have alcohol or drugs on hand, in order to
use them as an excuse for their actions. Abusers will also claim their actions resulted
because they could not have the alcohol or drugs.
MYTH: Domestic violence is an anger control issue.
FACT: Domestic violence has nothing to do with anger. Anger is a tool abusers use to
get what they want. We know abusers are actually very much in control because they
can stop when someone knocks on the door or the phone rings; they often direct punches
and kicks to parts of the body where the bruises are less likely to show; and they are not
abusing everyone who makes them "angry", but waits until there are no witnesses and
abuses the one he says he loves.
MYTH: Abusers andor victims have low self-esteem.
FACT: Abusers do not have low self-esteem. They believe they are
entitled to have power and control over their partner. Abusers will
pretend to have low self-esteem, if it will make others believe the
violence is not their fault.
FACT: Survivors of abuse may have had great self-esteem at
the beginning of the relationship, but the abuser uses emo
tional abuse: calling her names, putting her down, telling
her it is her fault, in order to destroy her self-esteem. Some
abusers look for women with low self-esteem, as they believe
she will be more likely to blame herself and less likely to
report his behavior. Other abusers will seek women with
high self-esteem, as they may represent a greater challenge to
control over time.
MYTH: Most assaults are really just a couple of slaps and they
are not really harmful.
FACT: More than 30 percent of hospital emergency-room admissions
are women who have been abused. Domestic violence is the single greatest
cause of injury to women in the United States.
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