Being with a violent partner can get a victim with kids a charge of neglect.

KEY POINTS
- Victims of a violent intimate partner with children are at risk for child neglect and risk losing custody.
- It’s well documented that leaving a violent partner can escalate the violence and possibly to lead to murder.
- Entrapment created by the violent partner takes away the victim’s control and ability to exercise choice.
Intimate partner violence creates a dangerous entrapment in the home for the victim who can also be held responsible for the children living in such an environment. The agencies that are set up to protect victims with children may intervene and determine that the victims themselves are neglectful in parenting their children just by being with a violent partner. A determination of neglect raises the risk of losing custody. Intimate partner violence is tragic, and, in the end, it makes no sense to hold the victim responsible for the violence they endure.
Intimate Partner Violence
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is common, impacting millions of people each year in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
- One in three women and one in four men report severe physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime.
- One in five women and one in 13 men experience sexual violenceby an intimate partner in their lifetime.
- Seventy-five percent of female IPV survivors and 48 percent of male IPV survivors experience some form of injury related to IPV.
- Posttraumatic stressdisorder (PTSD) symptoms, concern for safety, fear, needing help from law enforcement, and missing at least one day of work are common impacts reported.
Looking at homicide rates, the data from U.S. crime reports show the following:
- One in five homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner.
- More than half of female homicide victims in the United States are killed by a current or former male intimate partner.
These statistics illustrate the prevalence and seriousness of IPV. Let’s be sure to recognize the impact of IPV on the targeted person, their loss of agency, and, for some, the belief to stay in order to protect their children.
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