The Myths and Facts of Domestic Violence

Myth: Domestic violence is rare
Fact: Nearly 1 in 3 adult women experience at least one physical assault by a partner during adulthood.
American Psychl. Ass'n, Violence and the Family: Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family (1996), p. 10.

Myth: Domestic violence does not occur in Muslim families
Fact: Violence can happen in any home regardless of race, religion, socio-economic status or age and Muslim families are not immune. Violence is oppression and it is a choice. Denial increases the chances of the cycle of violence continuing in next generation.

63% of all domestic violence offenders had either seen their mothers abused or had themselves been abused as children (San Francisco Family Violence Project, 1981).

Myth: Batterers abuse their partners or spouses because of alcohol or drug abuse.
Fact: Alcohol or substance abuse does not cause perpetrators of domestic violence to abuse their partners, though it is frequently used as an excuse. Substance abuse may increase the frequency or severity of violent episodes in some cases. (Jillson & Scott, 1996) Because substance abuse does not cause domestic violence, requiring batterers to attend only substance abuse treatment programs will not effectively end the violence. Such programs may be useful in conjunction with other programs, such as batterer intervention programs. * ABA-Commission on Domestic violence

Myth: Perpetrators of domestic violence abuse their partners or spouses because they are under a lot of stress or unemployed.
Fact: Stress or unemployment does not cause batterers to abuse their partners. Since domestic violence cuts across socioeconomic lines, domestic abuse cannot be attributed to unemployment or poverty. Similarly, advocates note that if stress caused domestic violence, batterers would assault their bosses or co-workers rather than their intimate partners. Domestic violence flourishes because society condones spouse or partner abuse, and because perpetrators learn that they can achieve what they want through the use of force, without facing serious consequences. * ABA-Commission on Domestic violence

In 92% of all domestic violence incidents, crimes are committed by men against women. – Violence Against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, January, 1994

Domestic Violence

"If the community does not take action to stop violence against women it means that they are sanctioning or approving such a behavior."
--Quote From M. B. Ahmed, presentation on Family violence ISNA DV conference 2000