The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a survey of 9,000 women to learn about the prevalence of domestic violence. The results of the survey showed that one in four women say that they have been the victim of serious violence.
The women who responded to the phone survey reported that they have been hit hard, kicked or violently abused by their significant other. The CDC report also estimated that as many as one in five women had been the victim of a rape or attempted rape.
While critics feel that these numbers are too high, victims’ advocates say that serious violence and rape or attempted rape, especially in relationships, is underreported. The difficulty many women in relationships face is that they don’t think the violence will happen again or they don’t want their partner to get into trouble for domestic violence.
Domestic violence such as assault, battery or rape is a serious crime in North Carolina. Even though the CDC report shows that many women experience this, a number of the crimes go unreported. When they are reported, however, law enforcement agencies and prosecutors go to great lengths to build a case against the accused.
Source: Star Tribune “1 in 4 women say they suffered harsh violence at hands of intimate partners,” US survey reports,” Mike Stobbe, 12/14/2011