Most people never talk about domestic violence

Many studies have shown that domestic violence is very common in Maryland and across the United States. For example, in one study, 54 million Americans claimed to have been victimized by some sort of domestic violence. A third of the women in the entire country are included in that number. Multiple studies, both of the United States and on the global level, have backed this up, repeatedly finding that about one out of every three women suffer as victims of domestic violence.

With something that common, you may assume that people would be quick to talk about it. However, the reality is just the opposite. Most people never talk about it at all.

For example, a key study discovered that 60 percent of people in the United States claimed they knew someone who had been victimized by either domestic violence or sexual assault. However, even though the majority of Americans can make this claim, 57 percent never talked about it with the people they knew, who are often their friends.

Are you thinking that perhaps, though they claim to be friends, they weren’t actually that close? Well, when parents were asked if they’d talked to their kids about it, those with children under 18 responded that they had not at the staggering rate of 73 percent.

As you can see, this is something that is a widespread problem, but that does not mean people give it all of the attention that it deserves, which can often allow it to go overlooked. It’s important for those who have been victimized to know about the legal protections and various options that they have.

Source: Think Progress, “Even Though Domestic Violence Is Incredibly Widespread, Most Americans Don’t Talk About It,” Tara Culp-Ressler, accessed July 29, 2016