By: Najah Killian, Shardashia Hall, Trevor Lewis, Nathan Rockholt Domestic Violence By: Najah Killian, Shardashia Hall, Trevor Lewis, Nathan Rockholt

Every 9 seconds in the US, a woman is assaulted or beaten. On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, the equates to more than 10 million women and men. 1 in 5 women and 1 to 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide. 29% of women and nearly 10% of men in the United States have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner and reported that the violence impacted them in some way. National Statistics

"Domestic Violence." Online interview. 10 Nov. 2015. "Domestic Violence: Statistics & Facts." <i>Safe Horizon</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. - This website shows different statistics on topics such as how much domestic violence costs, how it affects the mental health of the abused, what could happen if the victim doesn’t receive any help, etc. We used this website to get statistics on how many people are hurt as well as what could happen. It is a useful website if you are trying to get an idea of how many people are affected, which is the reason we used this website. "Domestic Violence." Online interview. 10 Nov. 2015. - This website tells us about the ranks in South Carolina of domestic violence. It also tells the percentage of women and men being abused with domestic violence. This information was helpful to see how much the state of South Carolina is being abused. La’Quacia Weldon helped understand how domestic violence can ruin some people’s lives. To help someone in need, you really have to be there for the person and not there to judge. Many people stay because the emotion of fear and love gets in their way. This information was helpful coming from my oldest sister because she’s a Social Worker.

Interview questions- la’Quacia weldon (Social worker) “How can I support a friend or family member who is experiencing domestic violence?” “Let them know that they can always come to you for anything and that you will always be there to talk. Never become accusatory because they may pull away from you and not share any information about their relationship anymore. You can do your own research to find support for your friend or family member and have it available when they are ready. Sometimes victims may be in such a severe situation that they may not have the opportunity or courage to find resources that will help them in their abusive children.” Interview questions- la’Quacia weldon (Social worker)

“Why don’t victims leave when they are put in those types of situations?” “Many people don’t leave due to fear. Fear that they may be hurt if they leave, fear of being alone, fear that they can’t make it financially on their own. Many stay because they may have been in the relationship too long and fear that they will have no one else to turn to if they were to leave. There are many reasons why these people stay and no situation is exactly the same.”

“How long does it usually take for victims to get over the abuse?” “Many people may never get over the abuse. It’s a part of their lives. It was, if they make it out alive, a part of their lives that is with them everyday. Domestic violence affects every part of a victim’s life. They may have missed work due to the marks that were left from yesterday’s fight, they may have had their children to make a promise not to tell what have happened that day. You don’t just get over bad things in your life. You may live and learn but they will forget or “get over it’. They learn to cope with life after domestic violence.”