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Profile of a Victim



Simply being female is the single greatest factor that increases one's risk of becoming a victim of domestic violence. Statistics show that in 95% of all domestic violence cases, women are the victims (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1994). Gender is where the commonalities among victims ends. Victims are of every age, class, race, religious, geographic, sexual orientation, and personality group. In the United States, nearly one in three adult women experience at least one physical assault by a partner during adulthood (American Psychological Association, Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family 1996 Report).
1. I am frightened by my partner's temper.
2. I apologize when I am treated badly.
3. I have been hit, kicked, bitten, shoved, burned, and/or had objects thrown at me.
4. My partner controls whom I see and where I go. My partner is jealous of my relationships with friends, family, and coworkers and isolates me from those people.
5. My partner has injured or threatened to injure the children, pets, or special property.
6. I am given an allowance to spend and/or my partner controls the finances and will not allow me to purchase necessities such as food and clothing.
7. I have been forced to have sex or perform sexual acts.
8. My partner has destroyed or broken my possessions.

Profile of a Batterer
Batterers are as diverse as the victims of domestic violence, but what is most similar about batterers is the use of power and control as the main tactics in their abusive behavior.
1. Jealous
2. Blames others for his faults and circumstances for his problems
3. Demonstrates unpredictable behavior
4. Verbally belittles his partner
5. Always asks for another chance
6. Says he will change
7. Plays on his partner’s guilt and love
8. Closed-Minded – His way or no way
9. Seems charming to outsiders
10. Abuses (physically, verbally, and/or sexually) his children
11. Regards his violent behavior as acceptable
12. Angry with other women
13. Believes in rigid gender roles
14. Isolates partner from family and friends
15. Controls where partner goes and who partner sees

Although both men and women can be abusers, approximately 97% of all batterers are men. Abuse is often a learned behavior. The person who uses any form of violence to control or manipulate a partner often has low self-esteem, may refuse to accept responsibility for the violence, and may believe the violence is justified. Often the batterer will try to excuse the behavior or blame the victim for causing it. The tendency to use abuse as a control tactic is aggravated by the use of drugs and alcohol. Overcoming a substance abuse problem, however, does not usually end the abusive behavior. Batterers can overcome abusive behavior through the appropriate treatment and counseling, separate from their substance abuse treatment.

Help is available to callers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Hotline advocates are available for victims and anyone calling on their behalf to provide crisis intervention, safety planning, information and referrals to agencies in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Assistance is available in English and Spanish with access to more than 170 languages through interpreter services. If you or someone you know is frightened about something in your relationship, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−SAFE (7233) or TTY 1−800−787−3224