Happy children in a loving family are less likely to become delinquent, abuse drugs or become teen parents. Encouraging strong, loving families spares children suffering and saves the costs of foster care, economic assistance and medical treatment.
Domestic violence takes a heavy toll on the victims, the family and the community.
In 1996, more than 200 people were killed and more than 125,000 assaulted as a result of domestic violence in Florida. The rate of child abuse and neglect in Florida has been slowly declining since 1991. The domestic violence murder rate has declined steadily since these data were first compiled in 1992.