Topic: Why Men Beat Women
You saw them on Oprah (March 19th) now it's your chance to talk with Tony and Sir on The Abundant Solutions Hour. Around the world at least one woman in every three has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Most often the abuser is a member of her own family. Nearly one in every three adult women experiences at least one physical assault by a partner during adulthood. Approximately four million American women experience a serious assault by an intimate partner during a 12-month period.
Tony Gaskins Jr., Best Selling Author – “What Daddy Never Told His Little Girl” and “Reclaiming Our Youth One Day At A Time”
I couldn’t express myself verbally, so I would take it out on her physically”, says Tony. “The thing that triggered me was that I was insecure as a person. To see her stare at another man, or to see her have a conversation with another man, or if she confronted me about anything, it enraged me.”
Sir Rodeheaver, Husband and Father
“It set me off. I remember walking up to her and smacking her full force, “Sir says. “I grabbed her by her neck, and I kind of held her against the car. Then, I walked over to the bushes and threw her in there, and I just started choking her. It was with every bit of rage, every bit of anger I’ve ever had.”
Listen as Sonya Mosley and Jenelle Thompson, survivors of domestic violence, tell their story.
Prophetess, Sonya Mosley “It’s time for me to tell my story.”
Best Selling Author and Model, Jenelle Thompson “It will be tough, but I must to tell my story.”
The precise incidence of domestic violence in America is difficult to determine for several reasons: it often goes unreported, even on surveys; there is no nationwide organization that gathers information from local police departments about the number of substantiated reports and calls; and there is disagreement about what should be included in the definition of domestic violence. "One study estimated that more than 3% (approximately 1.8 million) of women were severely assaulted by male partners or cohabitants over the course of a year, while other studies indicate the percentage of women experiencing dating violence, including sexual assault, physical violence, or verbal and emotional abuse, ranges as high as 65%."
Gender trends: Women make up 3/4 of the victims of homicide by an intimate partner. Actually, 33% of all women murdered (of course, only cases which are solved are included) are murdered by an intimate partner. Women make up about 85% of the victims of non-lethal domestic violence. In all, women are victims of intimate partner violence at a rate about 5 times that of males.
Racial and Ethnic trends: Black women and men suffer from the highest rates of domestic violence. "Black females experienced domestic violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races. Black males experienced domestic violence at a rate about 62% higher than that of white males and about 22 times the rate of men of other races."
Marital status: For both men and women, divorced or separated persons were subjected to the highest rates of intimate partner victimization, followed by never- married persons.
Reporting to police: The rates at which individuals report domestic violence to police vary along racial and gender lines. Hispanic and black women report domestic violence at the highest rate (approximately 65% to 67% of abuse is reported). For white females, only about 50% of the abuse is reported.
