DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
- On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.
- 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking with impacts such as injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, use of victim services, contraction of sexually transmitted diseases, etc.
- 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.This includes a range of behaviors (e.g. slapping, shoving, pushing) and in some cases might not be considered “domestic violence.”
- 1 in 7 women and 1 in 25 men have been injured by an intimate partner.
- 1 in 10 women have been raped by an intimate partner. Data is unavailable on male victims.

- 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence (e.g. beating, burning, strangling) by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
- 1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime to the point in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.
- On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.
- The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%.
- Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime.
- Women between the ages of 18-24 are most commonly abused by an intimate partner.
- 19% of domestic violence involves a weapon.
- Domestic victimization is correlated with a higher rate of depression and suicidal behavior.
- Only 34% of people who are injured by intimate partners receive medical care for their injuries.
RAPE
- 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men in the United States has been raped in their lifetime.
- Almost half of female (46.7%) and male (44.9%) victims of rape in the United States were raped by an acquaintance. Of these, 45.4% of female rape victims and 29% of male rape victims were raped by an intimate partner.
STALKING
- 3 million women and 5.1 million men in the United States have been stalked in their lifetime.160.8% of female stalking victims and 43.5% men reported being stalked by a current or former intimate partner.
HOMICIDE
- A study of intimate partner homicides found that 20% of victims were not the intimate partners themselves, but family members, friends, neighbors, persons who intervened, law enforcement responders, or bystanders.
- 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these murder suicides are female.
CHILDREN AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
- 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
- Victims of intimate partner violence lose a total of 8.0 million days of paid work each year.
- The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $8.3 billion per year.
- Between 21-60% of victims of intimate partner violence lose their jobs due to reasons stemming from the abuse.
- Between 2003 and 2008, 142 women were murdered in their workplace by their abuser, 78% of women killed in the workplace during this timeframe.
PHYSICAL/MENTAL IMPACT
- Women abused by their intimate partners are more vulnerable to contracting HIV or other STI’s due to forced intercourse or prolonged exposure to stress.
- Studies suggest that there is a relationship between intimate partner violence and depression and suicidal behavior.
- Physical, mental, and sexual and reproductive health effects have been linked with intimate partner violence including adolescent pregnancy, unintended pregnancy in general, miscarriage, stillbirth, intrauterine hemorrhage, nutritional deficiency, abdominal pain and other gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, chronic pain, disability, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Victims of domestic violence are also at higher risk for developing addictions to alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.
Emotional Abuse Statistics
Emotional abuse among seniors can vary with each case. Common types of emotional abuse include screaming at or demeaning the elderly. Isolating the elderly from their relatives, loved ones, or friends may be type of emotional abuse.
Here are some important emotional elder abuse statistics:
- According to the Office on Women’s Health (OWH), caregivers are more likely to emotionally abuse seniors (as opposed to spouses or family members).
- Roughly 54 out of 129 seniors with dementia experienced some form of psychological abuse from their caregivers, according to a 2010 study from the Journal of American Geriatrics Society.
- 38% of elders reported they experienced at least one instance of verbal abuse in a 2014 study conducted by Northeastern University researchers.
Because this type of abuse may not leave physical marks, families should take note of their loved one’s overall mood if they suspect emotional harm has taken place.
Common signs of emotional abuse include anxiety, irritability, and fear of specific residents or staff members if the senior lives in a nursing home.
Financial Abuse Statistics
Financial abuse occurs when someone steals or swindles money from a senior. Financial abusers tend to be trusted caregivers, friends, or relatives looking to extort the hard-earned life savings of the elderly.
Here are some important financial elder abuse statistics:
- Seniors lose at least $2.6 Billion a year due to financial abuse — and possibly more due to unreported cases.
- Only 1 in 44 cases of financial abuse is reported, according to the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA).
- NAPSA also notes that elderly victims of financial abuse are three times more likely to die and four times more likely to enter a nursing home.
- Financial abuse can take many forms, including identity theft, use of debit or credit cards, lottery scams, telemarketing or internet scams, or abuse of power of attorney.
- If a senior lives with a child that is unemployed or suffers from substance abuse, they run a greater risk of financial abuse.
One of the best ways to prevent financial abuse is by having a responsible family member or attorney manage or co-manage a senior’s accounts. All family members should be kept in the loop about this decision, as this can help keep the process transparent.
Physical Abuse Statistics
Abuse can leave seniors with long-term injuries or permanent disabilities. Physical abuse may also contribute to their death in some cases.
Here are some important physical abuse statistics:
- Seniors who were physically abused had a 300% greater risk of prematurely dying compared to those who had not been, according to a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association.
- Spouses or other partners were the greatest culprits of physical abuse, accounting for nearly 60% of all cases according to a study from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service.
- In 2013, over 9,700 complaints about nursing home abuse were filed in the U.S. The most common type of complaint involved physical abuse.
Elders who have been physically abused should be taken to a hospital for treatment and should not go back to living with the caregiver or spouse who abused them
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FBI Releases 2019 Hate Crime Statistics
The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program serves as the national repository for crime data voluntarily collected and submitted by law enforcement. Its primary objective is to generate reliable information for use in law enforcement administration, operation, and management. The 2019 hate crimes data, submitted by 15,588 law enforcement agencies, provide information about the offenses, victims, offenders, and locations of hate crimes. Of these agencies who submitted incident reports, there were 7,314 hate crime incidents involving 8,559 offenses.
Below are some highlights from the data. The full report can be viewed here:
https://ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2019.
Single-bias Incident Bias Motivations by Category: This is a bar chart comparing the 2018 and 2019 data for bias motivation categories for single bias incidents. They are as follows:
Bias Motivation Categories | 2018 | 2019 |
Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry/Bias | 4,047 | 3,963 |
Religion | 1,419 | 1,521 |
Sexual Orientation | 1,196 | 1,195 |
Gender Identity | 168 | 198 |
Disability | 159 | 157 |
Gender | 47 | 69 |
Total | 7,036 | 7,103 |
Traffickers use a variety of coercive methods to control their victims including:
- Luring their victims with false promises of economic opportunity
- Withholding identification, work authorization, or travel documents
- Demanding repayment for a real or alleged debt
- Using or threatening to use violence
- Monitoring and surveillance activities
- Paying very little or not paying at all for work
Trafficked victims may:
- Be forced to live in subpar conditions (living in the same place as they work; living in a space that does not have heat, running water, or electricity; living with many people sharing the same, small space)
- Not be allowed to talk to anyone alone or without supervision
- Be coached on how to respond to inquiries from others including police and other authority figures
Regardless of immigration status, all people that work in the United States have the right to:
- Be paid at least a minimum wage
- A safe and healthy workplace
- Not be held in a job against their will
- Keep their passport and other identification documents in their possession
- Report abuse without retaliation
- Leave an abusive employment situation
- Get help from unions, immigrant and labor rights groups, and other organizations
Statistics and Facts
National Human Trafficking Statistics
- 9 million people are victims of forced labor. (ILO, 2017)
- 16 million people are trafficked for forced labor in the private economy. (Private economy includes: private individuals, groups, or companies in all sectors except the commercial sex industry). (ILO, 2017)
- 8 million people are trafficked for forced sexual exploitation. (ILO, 2017)
- 1 million people are trafficked for forced labor in state-imposed forced labor.It is estimated that 20.9 million people are trafficked worldwide. (ILO, 2017)
- Women and girls are disproportionately affected by human trafficking, accounting for 71% of all victims. (ILO, 2017)
Labor Trafficking Statistics
- Forced labor in the private economy generates an estimated $150 billion in illegal profits per year. (ILO, 2012)
- The largest share of labor trafficked adults are domestic workers (24%) followed by construction (18%), manufacturing (15%), and agriculture and fishing (11%) sectors. (ILO, 2017)
- Migrant workers and indigenous people are particularly vulnerable to forced labor. (ILO, 2017)
Sex Trafficking Statistics
- 8 million adults are trafficked for forced sexual exploitation and 1.0 million children are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. (ILO, 2017)
Corporate Bullying Statistics
With an estimated prevalence rate of a conservative 3.5% of all employees, the cost of bullying is between $6 billion and $13 billion per annum, taking into account the cost of absenteeism, staff turnover, legal and workers compensation costs, decreased productivity, and management time lost in addressing cases of bullying3, pointing to the significant financial consequences of workplace bullying to an organisation.
- 37% of Employees have been bullied
- 72% of Bullies are Managers
- Target are Often Their Direct Reports
- Bullying 4 times more prevalent than illegal harassment
- 62% of employees ignore the problem
- 45% of targets report stress related health problems
- 40% of targets never tell anyone
- 3% of targets file lawsuits
Bullying Tactics
- The Bully Blames The Target For “Errors”
- The Bully Makes Unreasonable Job Demands
- The Bully Finds Any Excuse to Criticize The Targets Ability
- Accuses Target of Inconsistent Compliance With Rules
- The Bully Threatens The Target With Job Loss
- The Bully Consistently Issues Insults And Put-downs
- The Bully Engages in Discounting/Denial Of Accomplishments
- The Bully Uses Exclusion, “Icing Out” Directed Towards Target
- The Bully Resorts to Yelling and Screaming
- The Bully Will Steal Credit for Work Done By the Target
Typical Target
- Come from all backgrounds
- Are competent
- Are often physically attractive
- Are non-aggressive
- Have a very low tolerance for unfairness and intolerance
- Are independent, refuse to join established cliques
- Are helpful to others and always willing to share
- Refuse to be subservient, subjugated or controlled
- Have integrity, strong ethics and values, are honest and trusting
- Have high expectations for authority
- Are sympathetic, caring and trusting, are quick to forgive
- Tend to be talented and creative
- Are well-liked, popular and respected
Sexual harassment
17 Shocking Workplace Sexual Harassment Statistics
- 63% of women did not file a complaint, and 79% of men kept issues to themselves.
In 2017, BBC surveyed 2,000 respondents and showed that most victims of sexual harassment didn’t report the violation. Either in fear of retaliation or if the harassment was played off as a joke, more than half of all victims stayed silent. Encourage victims to come forward by setting clear definitions about sexual harassment in the workplace through regular training and updating your sexual harassment policy to include concrete steps on reporting harassment.
- Nearly 3 in 4 sexual harassment claims in the workplace go unreported.
Another survey shows that 75% of sexual harassment cases in the workplace are unreported. This statistic shows that organizations need to do a better job in cultivating a culture to show that it’s encouraged to file sexual harassment complaints. Beyond just creating a strict anti-harassment policy, regular sexual harassment training and prompt action against a harassment charge are needed.
- 55% of victims experience retaliation after speaking up or making a claim.
A report released by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2020 showed that 55.8% of the complaints received during 2020 are related to retaliation after reporting a sexual harassment incident. Retaliation discourages victims from reporting and fosters a toxic work culture. It comes in many forms, including a demotion, exclusion from staff activities, or unfavorable reassignment.
- 38% of women have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.
A survey by Stop Street Harassment in 2018 showed that an alarming 81 percent of women and 43 percent of men have been harassed in their lifetime. Of the 996 women surveyed, 38% were harassed in the workplace. Whether it’s assault or an offhand comment that makes somebody uncomfortable, sexual harassment in the workplace should not be tolerated. Sexual harassment has a lasting effect on the harassed, affecting their routine, health, and mental state. It’s important to educate your employees on what’s okay to say and what’s not, even as a joke.
- 39% of employees aren’t confident their issues will be addressed, and 46% fear retaliation.
Concerns that the issue won’t be addressed and retaliation are just two reasons victims tend to endure the harassment and emotional repercussions by themselves instead of confronting their harassers. A concrete sexual harassment policy and promptly following said policy when a report is made is important to demonstrate that the organization will protect the harassed against retaliation. Protect the trust your employees have in your organization by taking claims seriously and creating a safe space for everyone to come forward.
- According to victims who have reported harassment, 95% of the men go unpunished.
According to the women surveyed by ABC and Washington Post, 95% of harassers go unpunished. This is a very concerning figure, as it shows how the culture in most companies often protects the perpetrators instead of victims. Not punishing the harasser encourages them to do it again and discourages the victims from coming forward in the future.
- Women have a 54% chance of becoming a victim of harassment.
Ranging from gender harassment to sexual abuse, women have more than twice the risk of becoming a victim of harassment. Women’s sexual harassment charges need to be taken seriously and promptly investigated. Sexual harassment prevention efforts also need to be improved to prevent further negative effects on female employees and improve job satisfaction.
- 32% of employees weren’t aware that jokes could be considered sexual harassment.
This figure shown by a survey in 2019 shows that annual training is necessary to get your employees on the same page on what’s considered harassment. Even if it’s unintentional, sexual harassment still causes discomfort for the harassed, liability for your company, and a tarnished record for the unsuspecting perpetrator. Protect your employees from avoidable claims and unnecessary emotional distress by doing regular training on appropriate workplace behavior.
- Workplace sexual harassment costs an average of $2.6 billion in lost productivity or $1,053 per victim.
Besides the emotional distress for everybody involved, including witnesses, investigators, and victims, workplace sexual harassment also has a significant financial cost attached to it. The loss of productivity alone costs $1,053 per victim. Deloitte breaks this down further in their report.
Preventing workplace sexual harassment is in everyone’s best interest. Prevention and awareness not only create a safe space for your employees but can even benefit your bottom line.
- 72% of victims were harassed by someone more senior in their workplace.
Harassment by a senior or a figure of authority can be especially scary, seeing as there are threats of retaliation and office politics involved. Accusing a more powerful figure can be scarier as they seem to have more “allies” than you do in your environment, which may lead to unreported harassment. Regular education, a clear policy, and a firm hand when dealing with sexual harassment are needed to encourage victims to come forward regardless of the perpetrator.
- 68% of the LGBTQ population experience harassment in the workplace.
A survey by TUC in 2019 showed that 68% of LGBTQ employees have experienced harassment in the workplace, and worse, 12% report that they have been sexually assaulted at work. Unfortunately, prejudice against the LGBTQ community is a factor why two-thirds of the community never report harassment. According to TUC, the misconception and over-sexualization of the LGBTQ identities may be a part of the reason for the harassment.
- 31% of sexual harassment or assault victims felt anxious or depressed afterward.
Severe emotional distress for sexual harassment victims is proof that every organization should consider adding mental health benefits as part of their business’s health care plan. The impact will affect the victims long-term, and some may have experienced a more serious wound in their mental state, such as depression or anxiety. To help them recover, it’s important to outline what kind of support you’re providing for the victims in your organization’s policy.
- 37% of harassed women claimed harassment negatively affected their career advancement.
Victims of harassment tend to change their routine to avoid their harasser. Combined with the lasting emotional damage they might go through, victims are more likely to be late to important meetings, have difficulty connecting with coworkers, suffer absenteeism, and even miss mentorship opportunities. Balancing professional opportunities and the fear of being sexually harassed makes it hard to think much about performance, ultimately affecting the victim’s career.
- 98% of U.S. organizations have a sexual harassment policy.
While this looks like one of the more uplifting statistics, sexual harassment is still a big problem for most workplaces. HBR explored this problem, in which they find that sexual harassment isn’t a problem you can solve with just having a policy since it’s embedded in the culture. Regular training, effort from everyone involved in the organization, and an enforced policy are needed to protect your employees from sexual harassment.
- The media industry claims the most incidents of sexual harassment at work.
This report shows that the media industry is the worst when it comes to preventing sexual harassment, followed by technology and consulting. Media includes PR/advertising, video and audio production and broadcasting, entertainment, art/design, publishing, and other communications. This may be due to the opportunistic nature of the arts and the sad fact that those in power often wield it in a way that’s opportunistic for them.
College violations
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