Domestic Violence Awareness: Know the facts and signs

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Andrea Posey
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the 1st Special Operations Medical Group urges Airmen to know the facts and signs of domestic violence to prevent and reduce future attacks.

Below are some statistics about domestic violence which were published in a pamphlet by the 1st SOMDG during its recent Black Eye campaign:
  • Over a lifetime, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men will be raped, physically assaulted, and/or stalked by an intimate partner.
     
  • Before age 25, 53 percent of male victims experienced some form of intimate partner violence.
     
  • As for stalking, 66 percent of female victims have been stalked by a current or former partner.
     
  • About 10 percent of all murders in the U.S. are attributed to domestic violence.
     
  • Women are four times more likely to be beaten, six times more likely to be slammed against something, and nine times more likely to be choked or suffocated than men.
     
  • Victims of intimate partner violence report frequent headaches, chronic pain and mental health problems.
     
  • Each year, 1 in 5 American children are exposed to intimate partner violence.
     
  • As for physical assaults against females, 75 percent are unreported
     
  • About 50 percent of female victims report being raped by an intimate partner.
     
  • Approximately 50 percent of male rape victims report being raped by an acquaintance.
     
  • Between ages 11 and 17, 1 in 5 females and 1 in 14 males were stalked.
Aside from the more obvious signs of physical violence like bruises, wingmen may notice the less-visible signs of domestic violence. These include increased health complaints and absences from work or school, according to Capt. Reed Reichwald, 1st SOMDG Family Advocacy chief.

Reichwald said children who are abused may seem clingy or distant from caregivers. Abused adults may avoid talking about their relationships or withhold details.

Stalking is one of the most common forms of domestic violence, said Reichwald.

"For example, someone may hear an Airman complain about receiving 400 texts from their partner in the last two days," he said. "Or they're getting inundated with calls."

Reichwald said domestic violence can happen without people putting their hands on each other; it can be invasive in other ways.

"Most people are touched by domestic violence in some way: it has happened to them personally, they have perpetrated the act, or it has happened to a friend or a family member," he said.

Reichwald said responding to signs of domestic abuse is built into the wingman culture.

"You can simply ask a wingman how they are doing, if they are okay, or if there is something that you can do to help," he said. "Explain to them they do not need to feel alone, and that there are resources available to assist them. Offer to go with them to talk with someone in family advocacy, including the domestic abuse victim advocate, who can provide more information about available resources."

"Service Before Self" sometimes means putting aside whatever feelings of discomfort people might be dealing with to help someone in need, Reichwald said.

"This concept is woven into the very fabric of the wingman culture," he said. "The trick is getting people to realize that it applies in situations like this. As Airmen, it is your business and responsibility to speak up."

For more information about domestic violence, the following resources are available at Hurlburt Field:

Family advocacy: (850) 881-5061
Mental health: (850) 881-4237
Sexual Assault Response Coordinator: (850) 499-7425
Domestic abuse victim advocate: (850) 881-5061
Chapel: (850) 884-7795
Airman and family readiness center: (850) 884-5441
U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-7233
Hurlburt Field after hours emergency contact: (850) 884-8100