Domestic violence is shockingly pervasive in our society today.
The National Violence Against Women Survey, released by the National Institute of Justice and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention last year, found that domestic abuse rates remain disturbingly high. With nearly 25 percent of women and 7.6 percent of men surveyed reported they had been raped or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse or date at some point in their lifetime. The survey also found that domestic violence has major implications for public health and our health care system. Of the estimated 4.0 million intimate partner rapes and physical assaults perpetrated against women annually, approximated 2 million will result in an injury to the victim. Domestic violence is nothing less than an epidemic, and must be attacked with all the resources we would bring to bear against a deadly disease.