State ContactsIllinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence Michigan Coalition Against Domestic Violence Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women Ohio Domestic Violence Network Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence ACF’s CommitmentIn accordance with The Family Violence Prevention and Services, Act P.L. 98-457, Region V is committed to increasing the awareness and raising community consciousness of the impact of domestic violence throughout the States of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. This is being achieved through:
In addition, ACF seeks to:
What Is Domestic Violence?Domestic violence is abuse between married or unmarried partners. It is a pattern of coercive behavior by one partner that controls or dominates the other. Domestic violence can take a number of forms, including: Physical abuse, such as slapping, punching, threatening with a weapon, coerced sexual acts, and refusing to help when a partner is sick, injured or pregnant. Emotional abuse, such as yelling, taunting, manipulating with lies, abusing pets or children, destroying important belongings, and isolating a partner from the outside world. Sexual abuse, such as forcing unwanted sex, rape, sexual name calling, forcing a partner to dress in a sexual manner, and forcing pregnancy. Economic abuse, such as taking or withholding money, controlling assets, keeping a partner from working/school, and withholding financial information and access to family finances. Psychological abuse, such as attacks on self-esteem, controlling or limiting behavior, repeated insults, and interrogation. Typically, many kinds of abuse go on at the same time in a household. An abusive incident is rarely isolated and it almost always happens again. What Is The Effect On Children?Experts agree that domestic violence seriously threatens the health and emotional well-being of children. Studies indicate that children exposed to domestic violence demonstrated:
What Is The Effect On Society?The effects of domestic violence are felt far beyond the home. US businesses lose $5 billion annually from abuse-related absenteeism and another $100 million in medical costs. Violence in the home also contributes to the climate of violence in the streets; a majority of criminals who assault strangers are survivors of abusive families. |