Facts about DV

First, let’s begin with some statistics about the Asian population in the US:
• 31% of domestic violence homicides from 1993 – 1997 in California’s Santa Clara County were Asian, although Asians comprised only 17.5% of the county’s population.
• Studies variously report that between 10% and 50% Asian and Pacific Islander women report experiencing stalking, or attempted or completed physical assault or rape, by an intimate partner.
These figures are lower than the corresponding reports by women of other ethnicities, but it appears highly likely that this is a result of under-reporting.

• Although nearly all Asian and Pacific Islander women agree that rape is a serious problem in society, 1 in 5 believes that “rape does not happen between two people who are in a relationship.”

And now, let’s look specifically at statistics about the South Asian population in the US:
• Between 20% and 40% of SA women reported physical or sexual violence by their partner.
• Nearly 1 in 6 SA women reported injuries so severe that they required medical services.
• Nearly 1 in 15 SA women experienced abuse by their in-laws. Where there was intimate partner violence, the figure rose to 1 in 6.
• 11.3% of SA women reported seeking counseling support services for DV.
• 3.1% sought a restraining order, which is substantially lower compared to women of other ethnicities.
There appears to be no significant difference between women who have had arranged and ‘love’ marriages.

SA women, when compared to:
• women from many other Asian communities (Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Cambodian), were much more likely to feel that DV was not something to be suffered in silence, and much more likely to support an abused woman calling a friend or the police for help.
• Hispanic and African-American women, were much more likely to disclose DV to a family member (usually the father or brother). Having done so, however, they were much more likely to be advised “to stay in the marriage.”

• Compared to SA women who had not experienced DV, SA women who had experienced DV were much more likely to report poor physical health, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. They were also more likely to report discolored vaginal discharge, burning during urination, and unwanted pregnancies, all of which indicate the presence of marital rape and sexual violence.

[All figures from Facts & Stats: Domestic Violence in Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Homes by Mieko Yoshihama, Ph.D. and Chic Dabby. Report issued by Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence and APIA Health Forum, September 2009]