The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) estimates that 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. In a single year, it is known that at least 1.3 million women are victims of domestic assault. This is also the lowest known number, as the vast majority of domestic violence cases go unreported. Not only is this devastating to the survivors, but also to the children of survivors. Children who grow up in a household witnessing domestic violence are twice as likely to continue the cycle of abuse as adults. The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control estimated that in the U.S., the cost of domestic violence in 2003 was over $8.3 Billion.
In Massachusetts alone, the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence has reported that there have been 165 victims of domestic violence related homicide, male and female, since 2003. In 2005, more than 33,000 women and children were served by community-based domestic violence programs. Thousands of victims are denied protective shelter because there is no more space, and a staggering number of victims of GLBT domestic violence become homeless.
Victims of crime, and their families, suffer dramatically from the economic impact of their victimization. The Victim Compensation and Assistance Division of the Office of the Attorney General is mandated by c.258C of Massachusetts General Laws, to provide financial assistance to eligible victims of violent crime, including victims and child witnesses to domestic violence, and family members of homicide victims. In 2008, over 20% of claims processed by the Division were as a result of domestic violence incidents The Division assisted over 200 victims of domestic violence and their families with uninsured crime-related costs such as hospital expenses, dental treatment, prescriptions, mental health counseling for victims and their children, and lost wages due to crime-related injury; compensation for these expenses totaled over $380,000. Additional compensation for funeral/burial expenses, and bereavement counseling expenses incurred by family members of the victims of domestic violence homicides totaled another $70,000.
If you, or someone you know, has been a victim, you may be eligible for compensation. To speak with a Victim Advocate in the Attorney General's Office , call 617-727-2200. For more information about the impact of Domestic Violence, visit www.janedoe.org.
During the month of October, there are vigils, fundraising walks and other commemorative events planned across Massachusetts by domestic violence programs to highlight the issue of domestic violence, to honor the survivors, and to remember the victims. For more information about an event near you, contact the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence.
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