Four Common Domestic Violence Myths

This week Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) released a shocking study that shows 90 percent of all federally-funded domestic abuse education and training programs contain false, biased, or misleading information – information that can only hurt national efforts to increase domestic abuse awareness and stop family violence for good.

What are the four most common domestic abuse myths?

• “Ninety-five percent of domestic abuse victims are women.” While we are not sure what percentage of domestic violence is directed toward men, we know it is significant. Unfortunately, domestic abuse against men is shockingly under-reported, in part because our society’s ignorance regarding male abuse and in part because of the shame and embarrassment that many victims feel.
• “Domestic violence is the number one reason women go to the emergency room.” The Centers for Disease Control has even released a specific memo informing domestic violence groups that this is not true. The original fact came from a very small study that concluded that domestic violence may be a common reason for emergency room visits, but in fact chest pain and abdominal pain are the two most common reasons for emergency medical care.
• “More domestic violence occurs on the Super Bowl than on any other day of the year.” After it was said during a speech at a conference in 1993, this false fact had legs – and people still spread the falsehood today. In reality, we don’t know which day of the year historically sees more family violence, but we do know that football games don’t cause battery.
• “Domestic violence is the leading cause of miscarriage and birth defects.” This statistic was published by the March of Dimes, but when asked for verification, the organization could not back up the fact with a study or any other evidence. Medical researchers highly doubt that the “statistic” is true.

Domestic violence is a pressing problem in our country, and it is absolutely vital that we educate our citizens with accurate, proven, and balanced information. By offering facts without proof or simply repeating interesting factoids that we have heard without verifying their truth, we are only harming domestic abuse awareness and prevention.

Molly Kenny is a family law attorney located in Mercer Island, Washington. If you are seeking a divorce, child custody, or legal protection in Washington State and domestic violence is a factor in you case, Molly Kenny can help you. Contact her law office today at (206) 381-0100 to schedule a confidential meeting today.