Twelve million people; that is nearly double the number of people currently living in Indiana and the number of people it would take to cover 2,400 acres of land. It is also the number of people affected by intimate partner violence each year, according to The National Domestic Violence Hotline. For the fiscal year July 2013–June 2014, the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence sheltered 10,531 adults and children. Forty-eight percent of those served were between the ages of 25 and 59 and were victimized by an intimate partner. Among Indiana counties, Marion County served the most victims at 3,564. Also during this fiscal year: 67 domestic violence homicides in the state.
Oliver Williams, executive director for the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African-American Community, believes African-Americans suffer disproportionately in regards to domestic violence. When looking at race and high-stress, low-income environments, there are more African-Americans present.
“It’s just like prison, it’s by number,” says Williams. “There are many more white men in there than there are African-American men, but the issue is (African-Americans) are 10 percent of the population in the United States and the rates of prison are much higher for African-Americans who are disproportionately represented, so it’s the same thing with regards to domestic violence.”
According to the United States Census Bureau, the exact percentage of African-Americans in the total population of the United States is 13.2 percent, while whites are 77.4 percent. Of those incarcerated, the Federal Bureau of Prisons reports 37.7 percent are African-American and 58.9 percent are White. There is a significant difference of 64.2 percent in total population, but only a 21.2 percent difference in incarceration rates.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a study published in 2014 entitled “Prevalence and Characteristics of Sexual Violence, Stalking, and Intimate Partner Violence Victimization — National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, United States.” The study included a sample of 14,155 interviewees and showed 41.2 percent of African-American women and 30.5 percent of white women experience physical violence by an intimate partner during their lifetimes.
There is also a disproportionate representation with fatalities. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence notes that domestic violence accounts for 15 percent of all violent crimes, 19 percent of domestic violence involves a weapon, and of the 72 percent of murder-suicides involving an intimate partner, 94 percent of the murder victims are female. The Dallas Morning News reported African-American women are three times more likely to die at the hands of a partner or ex-partner than any other race. Intimate partner homicide is the leading cause of death for black women ages 15 to 35. The highest rates of domestic violence fall in the age range of 15 to 24 and 25 to 34, according to The National Domestic Violence Hotline.
But not all incidents are reported. Williams said there are a few reasons why African-American women do not report the abuse. Loyalty to their partner, not wanting to be exposed, shame, fear of retaliation from their partner’s family and the gender entrapment theory are some reasons. Williams explains the gender entrapment theory is an individual being worried for their partner’s wellbeing and how they may be treated by the legal system. There is a fear that if the police come to the scene, the police may kill the attacker, and the victim will be the one to blame.
Williams says it is important for the African-American community to become involved to help resolve this issue.
“We need to have our community talk about the problem in our own voice and talk about the solution in our voice,” said Williams. “We need to have churches involved because, often times, women are more likely to go to churches for support, but sometimes churches have not been the most helpful.”
Williams says community organizations, mosques and family support can also help remedy domestic violence. He states that knowing the cultural background plays a role as well.
“If you don’t know that (cultural background) and you are doing a batter and intervention program and you don’t know what issues to challenge him about, how can you expect him to change the way that he behaves?” says Williams. “We have to understand the story we are talking about and what approach to be able to use.”
Some people may not report domestic violence abuse, but Cameka Crawford, chief communications officer for The National Domestic Violence Hotline and loveisrespect, said reporting the issue is taking a risk.
“One of the most dangerous times for someone is when they are trying to leave an abusive relationship, so we (The National Domestic Violence Hotline) would say that an individual really needs to consider all of their options,” says Crawford. “If they feel that they are in immediate, physical danger or someone one around them is in immediate, physical danger and they don’t feel safe, then they absolutely should reach out, but they should think about working to create a safety plan.”
A safety plan is a plan, created by the victim, to stay or leave the relationship keeping their well being in mind. If a person is ready to leave an unhealthy relationship, Crawford says the first thing the victim should do is become educated on the resources and options available to them. This can happen by reaching out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline 24 hours, seven days a week online or by calling in and speaking to an advocate. An advocate can help the victim develop a safety plan, look into local resources available as well as legal and financial resources, and help determine the next steps.
“Another thing that we would advise is that the individual not tell the abusive partner that they are leaving, because that is an incredibly dangerous time,” says Crawford. “It shouldn’t be something where you walk up to your partner and say, ‘Hey I’m getting ready to leave you,’ because we don’t want that person to feel like they are losing control and then begin to escalate the abuse that you are experiencing.”
For more information on domestic violence, visit thehotline.org where online chat is available. You can also speak to an advocate at (800) 799-SAFE (7233).
