Many of us know learners who are involved in relationships where domestic violence is a reality. Many of us have friends for whom this is a reality. For many of us, this is our reality.

For those of us who want to help someone realize they are not alone, or need the validation for themselves, I have copied and pasted from an article published on 07/25/08 by Marie Tessier in Women's eNews:

Domestic violence is a leading cause of death for women ages 15-44, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. It is a leading cause of death of pregnant women, mortality research shows. And African American and Native American women are at the highest risk of intimate partner homicide.

Sexual violence is so prevalent that it touches every family in the United States, advocates say.

Nearly one-third of all U.S. women report experiencing violence from a current or former spouse or boyfriend at some point in their lives, according to the San Francisco-based Family Violence Prevention Fund.
 
Women in college are particularly vulnerable to gender violence. Over the course of a college career between 20 and 25 percent of female students will be sexually assaulted, according to a 2000 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

A woman's risk of being murdered by an intimate partner is highest after leaving an abusive relationship