Domestic Violence: 10 Chilling facts about the heinous form of abuse

Domestic violence, also named domestic abuse, battering, or family violence, is a pattern of behavior which involves violence or other abuse by one person against another in a domestic setting, such as in marriage or cohabitation.

It may be termed intimate partner violence when committed by a spouse or partner in an intimate relationship against the other spouse or partner, and can take place in heterosexual or same-sex relationships, or between former spouses or partners. Domestic violence may also involve violence against children or the elderly. Domestic violence has many ugly faces. Check out some chilling facts and stats below.

1. 3 women are murdered every day by a current or former male partner in the U.S.

2. 38,028,000 women have experienced physical intimate partner violence in their lifetimes.

3. 1,509 women were murdered by men they knew in 2011. Of the 1,509 women, 926 were killed by an intimate parter and 264 of those were killed by an intimate partner during an argument.

4. A woman is assaulted or beaten every nine seconds.

5. Men can be domestic violence victims too! One study found that 40% of domestic violence victims are men.

6. More than 200,000 phone calls are placed to domestic violence hotlines every year.

7. Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crimes.

8. 20 people are abused by an intimate partner every minute, adding up to 10 million each year.

9. 1 in 3 women—and 1 in 4 men—have been in abusive relationships, and 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men have faced severe physical violence.

10.The presence of guns in a home where domestic violence is a problem increases the risk of a murder by 500%.