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The Catholic Defender: Refugee


Despite all the knowledge and development we have obtained in the United States, it is a sad state of affairs that we have so much abuse of women taking place. Sadly, much is due to the influence and addictions to alcohol, drugs, and pornography. Here is some information I think is alarming about women in the world:

1 IN 3 women will be raped, abused or beaten in her lifetime. EACH MINUTE a pregnant woman dies. That's one too many. 75% of all Sub-Saharan Africans ages 15-24 Infected with HIV are women. 49% of all sexual assaults worldwide are against girls 15 and younger. Allstate Foundation National Poll on Domestic Violence 2004 3 out of 4 (74%) respondents personally know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence. 83% percent of respondents strongly agreed that domestic violence affects people in all racial, ethnic, religious, educational, social and economic backgrounds. 2 out of 3 (66%) strongly agreed that domestic violence is a serious, widespread social problem in America. While 4 out of 10 (43%) ranked fear that the abuser will find the victim as the number one reason a victim would not leave his/her abuser, over a quarter (28%) thought that finding access to money/income to support the victim and/or children was the most important problem. According to the CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey 2005 1 IN 4 WOMEN, 1 IN 9 MEN IN UNITED STATES ARE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIVES. In households with incomes under $15,000 per year, 35.5% of women and 20.7% of men suffered violence from an intimate partner. 43% of women and 26% of men in multiracial non-Hispanic households suffered partner violence. 39% of women and 18.6% of men in American Indian/Alaska Native households suffered partner violence. 26.8% of women and 15.5% of men in white non-Hispanic households suffered partner violence. 29.2% of women and 23.3% of men in black non-Hispanic households suffered partner violence. 20.5% of women and 15.5% of men in Hispanic households suffered partner violence. CDC Adverse Health Conditions and Health Risk Behaviors Associated with Intimate Partner Violence – United States 2005 Each year, intimate partner violence (IPV) results in an estimated 1,200 deaths and 2 million injuries among women and nearly 600,000 injuries among men. 23.6% of women and 11.5% of men aged 18 years or more have a lifetime history of intimate partner violence victimization. Highest percentage for women is adults aged 45-54 (31.2%) Highest percentage for men is adults aged 25-34 (21.4%) General Statistics On the average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends every day. 92% of women say that reducing domestic violence and sexual assault should be at the top of any formal efforts taken on behalf of women today. 1 out of 3 women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime. 1 in 5 female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner. Abused girls are significantly more likely to get involved in other risky behaviors. They are 4 to 6 times more likely to get pregnant and 8 to 9 times more likely to have tried to commit suicide. 1 in 3 teens report knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, slapped, choked or physically hurt by his/her partner. As many as 324,000 women each year experience intimate partner violence during their pregnancy. Violence against women costs companies $72.8 million annually due to lost productivity. Ninety-four percent of the offenders in murder-suicides were male. Seventy-four percent of all murder-suicides involved an intimate partner (spouse, common-law spouse, ex-spouse, or boyfriend/girlfriend). Of these, 96 percent were females killed by their intimate partners. Most murder-suicides with three or more victims involved a “family annihilator” — a subcategory of intimate partner murder-suicide.Family annihilators are murderers who kill not only their wives/girlfriends and children, but often other family members as well,before killing themselves. Seventy-five percent of murder-suicides occurred in the home. St. Paul warns, "But understand this: there will be terrifying times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money,proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, as they make a pretense of religion but deny it's power. Reject them" (2 Timothy 3:1-5). May the Lord grant us mercy and healing, to break the cycle of violence.

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