October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month; Do You Know the Signs and Symptoms?

For many victims of domestic violence, finding a safe place to go can be challenging. Many are struggling to attain and/or maintain safety and independence, whether or not they are still living with their abuser. Jewish Family & Children’s Service’s Shelter Without Walls is a domestic violence program that addresses those unmet needs of Maricopa County survivors of domestic violence and their children who are currently residing outside of a shelter setting.

Shelter Without Walls works with survivors of domestic violence that may have “fallen through the cracks,” meaning those that are not yet separated from their abusive partner and desire to live independently but need assistance to do so safely, and those who have already left but need support to be successfully independent.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services Office of Women’s Health website:

• On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.
• One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.
• 85% of domestic violence victims are women.
• Each year an estimated 1.3 million women are victimized by intimate partners.
• Domestic violence results in more than 18.5 million health care visits yearly.
• Most cases of domestic violence are never reported to the police.
• Every 44 minutes in Arizona, one or more children witness domestic violence.
• Up to 60% of perpetrators of intimate partner violence also abuse their children
• Witnessing violence as a child is the strongest risk factor in transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next.
• Boys who witness domestic violence are twice as likely to abuse their own partners and children when they become adults.
• In the rural areas of Arizona, victims of domestic violence may not have access to services due to isolation and long distances between available domestic violence safe homes or shelters.

Know the signs of abuse:

• Extreme jealousy
• Possessiveness
• Unpredictability
• A bad temper
• Cruelty to animals
• Verbal abuse
• Extremely controlling behavior
• Antiquated beliefs about roles of women and men in relationships
• Forced sex or disregard of their partner's unwillingness to have sex
• Sabotage of birth control methods or refusal to honor agreed upon methods
• Blaming the victim for anything bad that happens
• Sabotage or obstruction of the victim's ability to work or attend school
• Controls all the finances
• Abuse of other family members, children or pets
• Accusations of the victim flirting with others or having an affair
• Control of what the victim wears and how they act
• Demeaning the victim either privately or publicly
• Embarrassment or humiliation of the victim in front of others
• Harassment of the victim at work

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please call (602) 452-4640 or
(602) 534-3087 (Spanish).