The National Domestic Violence Hotline: (1-800) 799-SAFE

The National Sexual Assault Hotline: (1-800) 656-HOPE

The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance Hotline: (1-800) 838-8328

REALITY:
One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime
(findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey, 2000)

One in 33 men have experienced an attempted or completed rape (U.S. Dept. of Justice, “Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women,” November 1998)

The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health services (Costs of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the US, 2003. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Centers for Injury Prevention and Control, Atlanta, GA)

2,367 domestic violence victims were turned away from shelters in Virginia in 2005 because no beds were available. An increase in funding is imperative in order to build more shelter space to accommodate victims (Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance 2005)

Domestic Violence Services in Virginia Between 2000 and 2006, the number of women and children staying in domestic violence shelters has doubled (The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Data Collection System, 2006)

In 2005, 20 children were killed by their caregiver in Virginia (Virginia Department of Health, 2005 Family and Intimate Partner Homicide Report.)