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Domestic Violence Facts & Statistics
Colorado Domestic Abuse Service Statistics
In 2008, the State of Colorado's Domestic Violence Program (DVP)
provided funding to 44 domestic abuse service programs around the
state. Those 44 programs report that they provided the following
free and confidential services:
Hotline Call Support:
Answered 46,780 emergency crisis intervention phone calls, an increase
of 20% over 2007 when programs responded to 38,863 calls.
Crisis line workers engage victims in safety planning and provide
appropriate referrals to community resources.
Shelter:
Provided 98,044 nights of shelter to 5,087 individuals.
Shelter residents are staying in shelter for longer periods of time
before bridging to permanent housing. Anecdotal evidence suggests
this is related to a lack of affordable housing in many communities.
In 2008, 8,660 individuals were turned away from shelters in Colorado
due to a lack of capacity, a 36% increase from 2007, when 6,341
individuals were turned away.
Counseling to Shelter Residents:
Provided 91,197 individual counseling sessions.
Provided 31,813 group counseling sessions.
Provided 55,957 advocacy sessions.
Counseling to Community Members:
Provided 30,372 sessions of individual counseling.
Provided 26,495 contacts through group counseling sessions.
Fifteen DVP-funded programs provided transitional housing to 332
women, a 12% increase as compared to 2007.
Community Education:
Gave 2,277 presentations to 72,850 individuals such as students,
businesses and civic organizations.
Provided 809 training and technical assistance presentations to
13,525 individuals such as law enforcement, clergy, medical
professionals and others who encounter victims in their professions.
Innovative Strategies to Respond to Domestic Violence:
Despite challenges, programs constantly improve upon existing services
in a variety of ways. Examples include:
A weekly protection order clinic for victims seeking support from the
courts. (A Woman's Place)
Outreach centers that increase the programs' ability to reach
and serve more victims and their children. (A Woman's Place and
Family Crisis Services)
Outreach to seasonal ski industry workers from Jamaica and Africa.
(Advocates Against Battering and Violence)
Three weekly therapy groups for youth ages 11 – 18 providing
a safe environment for youth to talk about the violence in their
lives. (Alternative Horizons)
An economic independence group to help women develop micro-business
ventures and employment options. (Alternatives Against Family Violence)
A parenting education group for victims to work toward disrupting the
generational pattern of violence. (AMEND)
Use of two vehicles for program staff and volunteers to pick
up victims who live in isolated rural communities who need to
come to shelter and to transport victims already in shelter
who need to access community services. (Crossroads Safehouse)
A "How to Help" support group for friends and family to learn how they
can respond to victims in their lives. (Family Tree)
"Time Out for Kids" support group for youth to talk about
the effects of domestic violence, safety planning, and self-esteem
while the non-abusive parent attends a peer group to discuss the
impact of the violence on their children and how to maintain healthy
relationships with them. (Family Tree)
Distribution of Spanish brochures for the first time in Gunnison
County. (Jubilee House)
Increased support group attendance from 3 to 30 in one year.
(Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence)
Establishment of a youth advocate position in the shelter to work with
teens to address healthy relationships, employment and success after
they leave the shelter. (Women's Crisis and Family Outreach Center)
Community Volunteers at Domestic Violence Programs:
In 2008, 3,915 volunteers provided 306,585 hours of community service
to programs. Their support is crucial to victims' ongoing
efforts to reach safety.
Profiles of Domestic Violence Victims served by DVP-funded programs:
Age
Age 0-12 = 17% of victims
Age 13-17 = 5% of victims
Age 18-24 = 14% of victims
Age 25-59 = 46% of victims
Age 60+ = 2% of victims
Age unknown = 16% of victims
Rural Victims of Domestic Violence
In 2008, 7,884 victims residing in rural communities received
services.
GLBT Victims of Domestic Violence
In 2008, 325 individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or
transgender (GLBT) received services.
Victims with Limited English Proficiency
In 2008, 2,645 victims with limited English proficiency received services.
Most programs have bilingual and bicultural staff and all programs have
access to interpreters.
National and Statewide Domestic Violence Services Census
On September 17th, 2008, the National Network Against Domestic Violence
(NNEDV) and programs across the county that provide services to domestic
abuse victims participated in the National Census of Domestic Violence
Services. This Census Day allows NNEDV to collect anonymous,
unduplicated, and non-invasive information about the number of victims
served and the types of services provided in one 24-hour period.
In Colorado, 41 out of 44 local domestic abuse service programs
participated in the NNEDV Census Day. While this is 93% of all
programs, and thus the full numbers of victims served and services
provided on that day remain unknown, those 41 participating programs
reported:
1,028 victims of domestic violence were served in one day.
574 domestic violence victims found respite in shelter or
transitional housing.
454 adults and children received services such as individual
counseling, legal advocacy and children's support groups.
131 requests for services went unmet. Insufficient resources
prevented programs from meeting all the need.
Review the
Colorado summary from the NNEDV's 2008 National Census on
Domestic Violence Services.
Review the National Report
from NNEDV's 2008 National Census on Domestic
Violence Services.
Colorado Domestic Abuse Fatality Statistics
In Colorado in 2008, at least 33 people died in 24 fatal incidents
related to domestic abuse. Those incidents included:
17 intimate partners murdered (16 female victims were killed
by a male partner, and 1 male victim was killed by a female partner).
7 children murdered.
1 friend, 1 relative, and 1 dating partner of a victim murdered.
4 perpetrator suicides.
2 perpetrators killed by law enforcement.
The victims ranged in age from 21 months old to 64 years old, whereas
the offenders ranged in age from 18 to 68. The most frequent cause of
death was use of a firearm, followed by stabbing.
Review the Denver Metro Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee /
Denver Domestic Violence Coordinating Council's
2008 Summary
In 2007, 6,341 individuals were turned away from shelters in
Colorado due to a lack of capacity, a 7% increase from 2006, where 5,886
individuals were turned away and a 60% increase compared to 2005, during
which 2,537 victims were turned away. Source: Colorado Department of Human Services, Domestic Abuse
Assistance Program, "2007 Annual Report."
Victims of abuse often report that they return to an abusive
situation because they cannot find affordable long-term housing in
Colorado. Source: Colorado Department of Human Services, Domestic Abuse
Assistance Program, "2007 Annual Report."
In 2007, 17,216 criminal cases filed in Colorado County Courts were
classified as domestic violence cases (Does not include municipal or
felony case filings). Source: Colorado State Court Administrator's Office, "Colorado
Judicial Branch Annual Statistical Reports: Misdemeanor Filings by Type
of Case for FY 2007."
Almost half of all women murdered in Colorado are killed by an
intimate partner. Source: Project Safeguard, "2007 Fatality Review Program
Report." Denver, Colorado 2007
19 children were killed during an incident of domestic violence
from 2000 to 2007. Source: Project Safeguard, "2007 Fatality Review Program
Report." Denver, Colorado 2007
Nearly half (43% or 2,165) the residents in shelter during 2007
were children, age 18 and under. Source: Colorado Department of Human Services, Domestic Abuse
Assistance Program, "2007 Annual Report."
The National Crime Victimization Survey found that 85% of intimate
partner violence victims were women. Source: Rennision. Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001.
Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, DOJ (US). 2003.
Nearly 5.3 million intimate partner victimizations occur each year
among U.S. women ages 18 and older. This violence results in nearly 2
million injuries and nearly 1,300 deaths. Source: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: Costs
of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the United States.
Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2003.
In a household survey, it was found that pregnant women are 60.6%
more likely to be beaten than women who are not pregnant. Violence is
cited as a pregnancy complication more often than diabetes,
hypertension or any other serious complication. Source: Battering and Pregnancy. Midwife Today. 1998.
If stalking involves intimate partners, the average duration of
stalking is 2.2 years. Of intimate partner stalkers, 73% threatened
their victims with physical violence, and almost 43% of victims
experienced one or more violent incident by their stalker. Source: Tjaden & Thoennes. Stalking in America: Findings From the
National Violence Against Women Survey. Office of Justice Programs,
DOJ (US); 1998.
Immigrant women often encounter additional obstacles to attaining
safety. Those obstacles may include language and cultural differences
between themselves and potential helpers, and immigration concerns. Source: Orloff et al., With No Place to Turn: Improving Advocacy
for Battered Immigrant Women, Family Law Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 2,
313. 1995.
Victims of intimate partner violence lose a total of nearly 8
million days of paid work-the equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time
jobs-and nearly 5.6 million days of household productivity each year
as a result of the abuse. Source: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control:
Costs of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the United States.
Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2003.
