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Legal Definition
Florida Statute - 741.28
"Domestic violence" means any assault, aggravated assault, battery, aggravated battery, sexual assault, sexual battery, stalking, aggravated stalking, kidnapping, false imprisonment, or any criminal offense resulting in physical injury or death of one family or household member by another family or household member.

"Family or household member" means spouses, former spouses, persons related by blood or marriage, persons who are presently residing together as if a family or who have resided together in the past as if a family, and persons who are parents of a child in common regardless of whether they have been married. With the exception of persons who have a child in common, the family or household members must be currently residing or have in the past resided together in the same single dwelling unit.

Hubbard House Stats Fiscal Year 2007-2008

Shelter
4,228 -Hotline calls received
6,138 - Adult counseling hours
11,706 - Childrens counseling hours
26,436 - Days of shelter
805 - Clients sheltered
389 - Children under 18
410 - Women
6 - Men

Outreach
4,132 - Adults served through Outreach
384 - Children served through Outreach
9,340 - Adult Counseling hours
4,220 - Childrens counseling hours

Agency
5,321 - Total number of clients served

Race/Ethnicity of clients

• Caucasian - 2,220 (42%)
• African American - 2,582 (49%)
• Hispanic - 282 (5%)
• Asian - 58 (1%)
• Other - 179 (3%)

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office reported 7,065 incidences from January 1, 2007 - December 31, 2007


Why Victims Stay

• May love his/her abuser since the abuser may be more often loving than abusive.
• May fear abuser will carry out on threats to kill her or the children. (Male victims rarely express fear for their life)
• May fear losing custody of his/her children.
• Probably suffers from low self-esteem because of perpetrators abuse and feels like a failure for not being able to stop it.
• May feel that the abuse is deserved or it is his/her fault.
• May have cultural or religious beliefs that keep him/her in the relationship.
• May feel that the children need the other parent; or he/she is incapable of raising them as a single parent.
• May believe that he/she cannot survive emotionally without partner and fears being alone.
• May be financially dependent on partner and lacking in job skills.
• May be so exhausted from dealing with the abuse on a daily basis that he/she is unable to make major decisions or changes.

Characteristics of the Abuser (By themselves not necessarily indicative but in combination with others) Jealousy
Controlling Behavior
Whirl-Wind Romance
Unrealistic Expectation
Isolation
Blames Others for Problems and Feelings
Easily Intimidated
Cruelty to Animals
“Playful” Use of Force in Sex
Verbally Abusive
Rigid Gender Roles
Past Battering
Threats of Violence
Breaking or Striking Objects

Signs of Domestic Violence

• Central pattern of injuries or multiple injuries (especially to head, face, chest, abdomen and genital areas)
• Evidence of strangulation (neck pain, sore throat, scratch marks, tiny red spots, red eyes, ears ringing, nausea, light headedness, raspy voice)
• Injuries that are inconsistent with the patient’s account
• Multiple injuries in various stages of healing
• Delay between the onset of the injury and treatment

What You Can Do
Victim

• Remain non-judgmental & non-confrontational
• Validate feelings and remind them the abuse is not their fault
• Always give the victim the right to decide what is best for them even if you don’t agree with their decision
• Show concern and support. Be patient and don’t push them.
• Ensure that the information shared will be kept in the strictest of confidence.
• Don’t ask questions that appear to blame the victim for the abuse.
  • Are you a victim of domestic violence?
  • What did you do to provoke the attack?
  • What were you doing right before you were attacked?
  • Why haven’t you left?
  • Why do you keep going back?

Abuser (if the person is known to you)

Don’t:

• Be taken in by excuses
• Assume it won’t happen again
• Suggest couples, marital or family counseling
• Put yourself at risk for physical harm

Do:

• Hold abuser accountable
• Maintain confidentiality if possible
• Express how you feel about what you see
• Remind them domestic violence is a crime