Updated research- serious stuff

[Mishenka]

Reality- Chew on this a while: Serious stuff.

  http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-06-13-russia-abuse_x.htm

KLIN, Russia — Olga Torgunakova lived for two months in the Lyubava Center, a women's shelter with four beds in this city 50 miles northwest of Moscow.
Now, Torgunakova, 23, and her 4-year-old son have moved in with her mother, invalid father and two younger sisters. Torgunakova, who says her husband frequently humiliated and threatened her during their five-year marriage, has obtained a divorce with the shelter's help.

She says the psychological abuse turned into beatings over the past year. "One night, he kneeled on my breasts and tried to strangle me and made it difficult for me to breathe. I still have pains from that," she says.

That's when Torgunakova called the shelter's hotline, says Natalia Mikheeva, director of the Lyubava Center.

"If he beats you, he loves you," goes a centuries-old Russian saying. A network of groups battling domestic abuse is trying to change that kind of thinking. A campaign in 80 cities repeats the adage on posters and asks, "Is that love?" The campaign, which includes public service announcements on TV and radio, was spearheaded by the National Center for the Prevention of Violence in Russia (ANNA) and conducted by the network of regional groups.

ANNA hosted Russia's first international conference on domestic violence in March. The gathering, sponsored by the Ford Foundation, focused on the need for legal changes and highlighted examples where Russian localities have addressed the issue. "We heard from activists that in Tumen, the police and the shelter work closely together. In Yekaterinburg, the crisis center has a desk in the police station," says ANNA's director, Marina Pisklakova.

Abuse statistics

The Russian home can be a brutal place for women. Domestic violence kills one woman every 40 to 60 minutes in Russia, says an Amnesty International report released in December.

In the United Kingdom, by comparison, about two women are killed by their partners every week, says Friederike Behr, one of the authors of the Amnesty International report.

Russian government statistics show that an average of 14,000 women a year were killed by their husbands from 1995 to 2000. In the USA, which has twice Russia's population, about 1,200 women are killed annually by their partners.

Russia has few crisis centers and few places for abused women to seek counseling and legal advice. The shelter that provided haven for Torgunakova is among 10 women's shelters in all of Russia, according to ANNA.

There are no articles in Russia's criminal law that apply specifically to domestic violence. Acts of violence against women in the family, if they are dealt with at all, are treated like any violent crime. Women also are reluctant to seek prosecution. "Crimes of domestic violence remain hidden because 80% of those who make a complaint take it back," says Alexander Dementiev, deputy judge of Sverdlosk region, 850 miles east of Moscow. "Changes in legislation are needed."

Repeated acts of violence against the same person go unexplained, according to the Amnesty International report. It calls for the enactment of laws to protect women, ensure access to shelters and fund programs that teach lawyers and judges about domestic violence. "There's no notice anywhere that there is the same victim again and again in some of these criminal cases," Behr says. "If you are living in the apartment with your assailant, the law does not encourage you to bring a complaint at all."

Pisklakova says domestic violence seemed to worsen in the 1990s with the social and economic upheaval caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Today, according to the government, unemployment is a relatively low 7%, and living standards generally are rising. But 80% of Russians earn poverty-level wages, and several million are homeless, Moscow economist Nikolai Shmelev wrote in a 2005 article in a Russian political journal.

The social and economic situation for women in Russia has worsened, according to a 2004 report commissioned by the government. "The problem with domestic violence is more acute and needs active intervention, including official statistics. Steps should be taken to bring security to the family and assistance to victims of violence," said the report by Vladimir Lukin, ombudsman of the Russian Federation.

Options limited

Battered women often have nowhere to go because of limited economic and housing options.

"In the U.S., if a woman is assaulted, someone has to come out in handcuffs," says Daniel Glode, country director for the American Bar Association's Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative in Moscow. "She gets a restraining order, and he has to get out of the house. Here, even after a divorce, people still live together for economic reasons."

Russia's high rate of alcoholism also has contributed to domestic abuse. From 1989 to 2000, alcohol consumption in Russia increased 45%, according to the World Health Organization. Irina Shurygina, a sociologist at the Sociological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, says a survey in 2003 showed two-thirds of women beaten by their husbands said their spouses became aggressive after drinking.

The European Commission wants one shelter for every 10,000 people. Yet in the capital, a city of 12 million, there is not a single women's shelter. Moscow has three daytime-only crisis centers, but unlike shelters, which provide a place for women to stay, crisis centers offer only counseling and legal advice.

Women's rights advocates and Russian lawmakers have discussed more than 40 versions of legislation to put domestic violence laws on the books. None would have criminalized domestic abuse. Instead, they would have made social services more available to victims.

"There are a lot of cases of women being murdered. We don't have protection or restraining orders," says Larisa Ponarina, deputy director of ANNA.

[Mishenka]

Abuse In America
4 million American women experience a serious assault by a partner during an average 12-month period. 1

This report is taken from the Amnesty International web site about statistics for abuse on  American women only and does not include abuse of Men or children.

On the average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends every day.2

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.3

1 out of 3 women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime.4

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.4

1 in 3 teens report knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, slapped, choked or physically hurt by his/her partner.5

Women of all races are equally vulnerable to violence by an intimate partner.6

37% of all women who sought care in hospital emergency rooms for violence–related injuries were injured by a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend.7

Some estimates say almost 1 million incidents of violence occur against a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend per year. 8

For 30% of women who experience abuse, the first incident occurs during pregnancy.9

As many as 324,000 women each year experience intimate partner violence during their pregnancy. 10

Violence against women costs companies $72.8 million annually due to lost productivity.11

74% of employed battered women were harassed by their partner while they were at work.12

Ninety-four percent of the offenders in murder-suicides were male.13

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.13

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.13

Seventy-five percent of murder-suicides occurred in the home.13


1. Issues and Dilemmas in Family Violence: Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family . Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; 1996.

2. Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001, February 2003.

3. Progress & Perils: New Agenda for Women, Center for the Advancement of Women. June 2003.

4. Silverman, Jay G., Raj, Anita, and Clements, Karen. “Dating Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Associated Substance Use, Unhealthy Weight Control, Sexual Risk Behavior, Pregnancy, and Suicidality.” Pediatrics, August 2004.

5. Teenage Research Unlimited. Findings from study commissioned by Liz Claiborne Inc. to investigate the level of and attitudes towards dating abuse among American teenagers aged 13 to 18 [online] 2005 Feb [cited 2006 Mar 20]. Available from: URL: www.loveisnotabuse.com/statistics_abuseandteens.htm

6. US. Department of Justice, Violence-Related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments, August 1997.

7. US Department of Justice.

8. The Commonwealth Fund, Health Concerns Across a Woman’s Lifespan: 1998 Survey of Women’s Health, May 1999.

9. Helton et al 1987.

10. Gazmararian JA, Petersen R, Spitz AM, Goodwin MM, Saltzman LE, Marks JS. “Violence and reproductive health; current knowledge and future research directions.” Maternal and Child Health Journal 2000; 4(2):79-84.

11. Costs of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the United States. 2003. Center for disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Atlanta, GA/

12. Family Violence Prevention Fund. 1998. The Workplace Guide for Employer, Unions, and Advocates, San Francisco, CA.

13. Violence Policy Center (VPC), American Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States, April 2006.

[Mishenka]

This report on teens and abuse was done my Liz Claiborne&Co is fairly up to date and noteworthy,

statistics
Abuse and Teens

1 in 3 teenagers report knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped, choked or physically hurt by their partner. (Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005.)

Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend had threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a break-up. (Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005.)

13% of teenage girls who said they have been in a relationship report being physically hurt or hit. (Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005.)

1 in 4 teenage girls who have been in relationships reveal they have been pressured to perform oral sex or engage in intercourse. (Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005.)

More than 1 in 4 teenage girls in a relationship (26%) report enduring repeated verbal abuse. (Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005.)

80% of teens regard verbal abuse as a “serious issue” for their age group. (Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005.)

If trapped in an abusive relationship, 73% of teens said they would turn to a friend for help; but only 33% who have been in or known about an abusive relationship said they have told anyone about it. (Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005.)

Twenty-four percent of 14 to 17-year-olds know at least one student who has been the victim of dating violence, yet 81% of parents either believe teen dating violence is not an issue or admit they don't know if it is an issue. (Survey commissioned by the Empower Program, sponsored by Liz Claiborne Inc. and conducted by Knowledge Networks, Social Control, Verbal Abuse, and Violence Among Teenagers, December 2000)

Less than 25% of teens say they have discussed dating violence with their parents. (Liz Claiborne Inc. study of teens 13-17 conducted by Applied Research and Consulting LLC, Spring 2000)

89% of teens between the ages of 13 and 18 say they have been in dating relationships; forty percent of teenage girls age 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend. (Children Now/Kaiser Permanente poll, December 1995)

Nearly 80% of girls who have been physically abused in their intimate relationships continue to date their abuser. (City of New York, Teen Relationship Abuse Fact Sheet, March 1998)

Of the women between the ages 15-19 murdered each year, 30% are killed by their husband or boyfriend. (City of New York, Teen Relationship Abuse Fact Sheet, March 1998)
 

[Misha]

This report on teens and abuse was done my Liz Claiborne&Co is fairly up to date and noteworthy,

statistics
Abuse and Teens

Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend had threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a break-up. (Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005.)

Michael,

You must judge a research based on a number of factors. These include the internal logic of the "facts" presented as well as the trustworthiness of those doing the research and their methods.

You cite a research conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited. If you go to their website (http://www.teenresearch.com/) you quickly realize that they are a research/marketing company. As such, they have an interest in marketing their research and massaging the results to make them appear that much more dramatic.

I already addressed the "1 in 3" problem in another thread, but I will now look at this "1 in 5" fact that is presented. They write: "Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend had threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a break-up." Right off the bat, I can say that they are conflating two distinct variables. The "if you leave me, I will beat you" versus the "if you leave me I will kill myself." Both are bad, but they are nonetheless distinct things. Which teenager after a break-up with the one they loved did not think their world was coming to an end and wished that they would die like Romeo and Juliette?

So, how can I can separate the two variables when you combine them in one factoid? How many more teens threaten to do themselves harm after a break-up as opposed to threatening the one who is doing the breaking up with physical violence? I would guess they are deliberately doing this in order to produce numbers that will be more "shocking" thus justifying them being paid to do more research.

[Mishenka]

This is a place to post research.  People can draw their own conclusions from the data. I left numerous links to back up all the stats, all of them excellent and proven. To try and minimize the issue is senseless. To dscount the research is equal to another slap in the face of victims all over the world.

Misha

[Kuna]

This is a place to post research.  People can draw their own conclusions from the data. I left numerous links to back up all the stats, all of them excellent and proven. To try and minimize the issue is senseless. To dscount the research is equal to another slap in the face of victims all over the world.

Misha

 

This is going from the ridiculous to the sublime...

Misha...  take a rest dude...  you've got some repairing to do...  Seriously... that's well intentioned advice not a criticism.

[Misha]

This is a place to post research.  People can draw their own conclusions from the data. I left numerous links to back up all the stats, all of them excellent and proven. To try and minimize the issue is senseless. To dscount the research is equal to another slap in the face of victims all over the world.

Misha

You know Misha, I see a trend. You post info and we are supposed to believe it at face value and not point out the flaws. If we do analyze the info then we are accused of being aggressive?!?

[ScottinCrimea]

Misha, If you have ever flown commercially, you may remember the instructions given at the beginning of the flight regarding the oxygen masks.  Parents are told that they should place their own masks on first and then the child's because if they pass out they aren't of much use to the child.  I think it's time for you to put your oxygen mask on.

[SANDRO43]

This is a place to post research.

You're mistaken, and probably confused by the title of this section, look at the other threads here: it was opened to host Jen's research project, and not meant as a pen where anybody could try his/her hand at being a researcher .

[Mishenka]

.

[acrzybear]

I usually see this "white knight" syndrome with my rookie officers, they become a Police Officer so they can save the damsel in distress and save the world.  Here's a little something that few people see or talk about; ie the wife that is given resources and opportunity to get out of the abusive relationship but keeps going back because "He doesn't mean it, he's under alot of pressure and really loves me". 

This falls under two separate categories;

1) It is learned behavior from their parents when they were children
2)  The woman's maternal instincts arise and she thinks she can change him because "he's not really a bad guy, you
    just need to be patient with him".

 I have almost no knowledge on Russian laws  or social pressures and I understand that Russia and alot of foreign countries are just a bit behind the United States in the domestic violence laws and they have hundreds and hundreds of years of tradition/pressure to overcome.  but I am a subject matter expert on domestic violence in the United States and with all of the resources (and "women's liberation" groups) available in the United States there is no sane reason for a woman to allow herself to be abused.

  I make sure my Officers comply with the law and I am more then willing to go the extra mile to help a person out of an abusive relationship, but she has to show that she really wants to change her life, otherwise I am going to use my resources to help someone that really wants help.


 Obviously this is a matter you feel strongly about, so here's my question to you sir; What are you doing to try and change things?  Or are you just posting various statics on this board in order to feel better about you particular situation?
 
As that old saying goes"you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink"

But what hell do I know, I'm just a lowly knuckle dragging civil servant for the last 13 years