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Nearly 1 in 3 women experience at least one physical
assault by an intimate partner during adulthood.[1]
That is disturbing, but domestic violence is not just
about physical violence. Domestic violence is a pattern
of controlling abusive behavior – emotional, sexual,
or physical. It is a pattern that can be prevented and
it can be stopped. It is something that can happen to
anyone. We can help by providing education, advocacy,
and support.
On the following pages you can learn more about domestic violence, what it is, and whom it involves. At the bottom of
the page you will see our crisis line phone number. If you are experiencing domestic violence or want to help someone who is, please call
us. If you want to learn more about what you can do to end domestic violence, please check out our You Can Help section.
Throughout the site we will refer to
victims as women and we will refer to batterers as men.
We do this because 90-95% of domestic violence victims
are women[2]
and as many as 95% of domestic violence perpetrators
are men[3]. However, men can
be victims and women can be perpetrators, and
domestic violence does occur in same-sex relationships.
While we take all forms of abuse seriously and serve
all victims of domestic violence, we recognize that
overwhelmingly domestic violence involves men abusing
women.
No one deserves to be abused. You deserve to be in a relationship that is built on equality and mutual respect. You
deserve to be in a relationship where you can get your needs met, feel safe, and be free from harm.
If you need assistance or if you have questions,
call our 24-hour crisis line
425-746-1940 or 1-800-827-8840
(V/TTY available 8am-5pm)
1. American Psychological Association,
Violence and the Family: Report on the American Psychological
Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and
the Family (1996), p. 10.
2. Bureau of Justice Statistics Selected
Findings: Violence Between Initimates (NCJ-149259),
November 1994.
3. A Report of the Violence
Against Women Research Strategic Planning Workshop sponsored
by the National Institute of Justice in cooperation
with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
1995.
© 2000-2003 Eastside Domestic Violence Program
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