226,890 domestic violence reports were made to the New York City Police Department during 1999. During 1998 this number was 240,034 cases. While homicide rates have dropped precipitously in New York City, the rate of women being murdered by intimate partners has remained the same. From 1990-1997 this rate has averaged 1.5 per 100,000 women. However, women are not the only victims of domestic violence.
Children are often present in settings where domestic violence occurs.
The National Crime Victimization Survey demonstrated that children under 12 years of age are present in over half the incidents of domestic abuse. Though it is difficult to know how many children are exposed to this type of violence, it is estimated that 10 million children, out of a total population of 77 million children, are exposed to domestic violence a year in the United States. Foremost is the fact that children are physically endangered in this type of environment. Living in a household where domestic violence occurs places a child at increased risk for abuse. The list of the effects of domestic violence upon children is a long one.