During 1993, New Hampshire's domestic violence pro grams received calls from 5,126 battered women and 85 battered men seeking assistance. Domestic violence includes physical, sexual, verbal or emotional abuse between partners. It occurs in families from all economic, educational, racial and religious backgrounds. Battering becomes more frequent and more severe over time, sometimes leading to murder or suicide. A recent study concluded that battering accounts for one fourth of all suicide attempts by women.
Men batter to control or dominate their partners.
Violence is a behavioral choice for which the batterer must take responsibility. No language or other act is provocation or justification for physical violence. Violence in one generation encourages violence in the next generation. Almost two thirds of the men who abuse their wives or partners witnessed abuse or were abused as children. Because the community does not view wife abuse as a crime, battered women can feel humiliated and wrongly believe that the violence is somehow their fault.