Not all states have the resources to respond to more victims.

KEY POINTS
- A rise in domestic violence (DV) occurred before and after the pandemic.
- A 2023 study in World Population Review identifies U.S. states with the highest rates of DV.
- States need to educate their residents about DV and provide life-saving resources to those in need.
In the United States, domestic violence (DV) or intimate partner abuse has increased before and after the pandemic with some states showing greater percentages. Although statistics show that we can all be at risk for DV, the states that have higher DV incidence have a responsibility to their residents. They must decrease the rate of DV by educating the public and providing more resources.
Domestic violence happens at any age and in both heterosexual and same-sex relationships. It’s driven by the behavior of one intimate partner to achieve control over their significant other. The abusive coercion used to overpower the other can take many forms including verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. We now know that types of nonphysical abuse are harder to detect and are far more successful in entrapment.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV):
- Intimate partner violence in the United States currently comprises more than 20 percent of all violent crime.
- 10 million people experience DV each year.
- 20 people per minute are physically abused.
- Regarding homicides, women are at greater risk with an intimate partner; men are at greater risk with a stranger.
- One in four women and one in nine men experience severe physical violence, sexual violence, and/or partner stalking.
What U.S. states have the highest domestic violence?
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