Domestic violence incidents increase

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the stark results of a survey that show the prevalence of domestic violence in the United States: One out of four women say they have been abused by an intimate partner, including a husband or a boyfriend.


The telephone survey of 16,507 adults -- 9,086 women and 7,421 men -- was conducted in 2010, underscoring the point that men also experienced the tragedy of partner violence, even though the bulk of the victims are women.


The October 2010 U.S. Census counted a population of 157.2 million women and 153.2 million men, which means that as many as 29 million women were beaten, choked, stabbed, shot, punched, slammed against something, or had their hair pulled by their lovers.


If being slapped, pushed, and shoved are included in the array of abuse, the number of female victims jumps to 36 million.


"What the report started to do was take a look at the prevalence of the violence," said Nancy Neylon, executive director of the Columbus-based Domestic Violence Network, a statewide coalition of service providers that address the issue.


The process of being able to pick up and start off on their own is getting harder,” she said. “People are choosing to stay longer because of the financial aspect of moving.”
However, budget constraints have forced some places to turn people away. Smith said private donations have fallen at least 50 percent.
Aimee Hall, the executive director of Safe Homes of Augusta, has encountered the same problem. She said Safe Homes is always at capacity and has to send people to another shelter, out of state, or even sometimes rent hotel rooms.
One woman, who asked to remain anonymous because she had recently left an abusive husband, said she spent eight days calling shelters all over Richmond County and was turned away because they cater to veterans or the disabled, or she had to have a police report or doctor’s note from the past 72 hours.
“I called every day, sometimes three to five times,” she said. “I called every outlet I could find. All I got was, ‘We will put you on a waiting list.’ ”
She said she heard about Safe Homes from a friend and when she called, she was offered the last spot. Through the shelter, she feels like she has found a community who understands her.
“It’s different to know there are people in your situation and to actually be surrounded by it,” she said.
She said she is on the mend and, through Safe Homes, has been able to secure housing for herself and her two children, ages 11 and 5.
“There aren’t many facilities that cater to women and children in this area,” she said. “They have a plan for me here.”
Not only are men and women staying in abusive relationships longer, but they are staying in the shelters longer, Hall said.
Because a lot of these women have never held a job, it makes it that much harder for them to find work in the sluggish economy.