Beyond the Mirror
Welcome to Beyond the Mirror’s website

If there is to be peace in the world there must be peace in the home.
Violence in the home is everyone’s problem.
Each of us must be part of the solution.
We must do all that we can in the time that we have.

This site provides:
  • A free e-book of poetry on psychological abuse; (click on book cover below)
  • Information on unhealthy/abusive relationships;
  • How we can help as individuals and as communities.
Our mission is to work for peace in homes by distributing information about unhealthy/violent relationships; suggesting ways to help individuals in such relationships; and empowering and affirming victim/survivors.

Statistics
This Page Contains the Following Sections

   I  Physical and Sexual Violence Statistics
   II The Impact of Violence on Health
   III Children who are exposed to neglect, violence and abuse


                                              I Physical and Sexual Violence Statistics
                                                    Source: National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.

Females who are 20-24 years of age are at the greatest risk of nonfatal intimate partner violence.

Most cases of domestic violence are never reported to the police.

One in six women and one in 33 men have experienced an attempted or completed rape.

Sexual assault or forced sex occurs in approximately 40-50% of battering relationships.

81% of women stalked by a current or former intimate partner are also physically assaulted by that partner; 31% are also sexually assaulted by that partner.

According to police records, one third of female homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner.

Intimate partner violence results in more than 18.5 million mental health care visits each year.

Only approximately ¼ of all physical assaults, 1/5 of all rapes, and ½ of all stalkings perpetrated against females by intimate partners are reported to police.

No matter what the rate of violence or who initiates the violence, women are 7 to 10 times more likely to be injured in acts of intimate violence than are men. National Crime Victimization Survey (Bureau of Justice Statistics)

                                              II The Impact of Violence on Health
                                                     Sources: Center for Disease Control and
                                                     the World Health Report on Violence and Health

Sharing life with an abusive partner can have a profound impact on women’s health. Violence not only has immediate health consequences, but it also puts the woman at risk for future health problems and increases a woman’s risk-taking health behaviors such as tobacco and alcohol use. Women with histories of violent relationships suffer physical, gynecological, and mental health problems more frequently than women who do not have violence in their lives. Numerous bodies of research document the following incidences of health consequences related to violence.

Health consequences include:
Physical injuries/violence:
  - Can range from minor injuries to permanent disability and/or death
  - Various injuries including internal injuries, bruises, fractures, lacerations and injuries to the eye
  - Chronic pain syndromes
  - Disabilities
  - Fibromyalgia
  - Gastrointestinal disorders, irritable bowel syndrome

Sexual and reproductive:
  - Gynecological disorders including sexually transmitted diseases
  - Infertility
  - Pregnancy complications, miscarriage
  - Sexual dysfunction
  - Unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions

Mental Health problems—Psychological and behavioral
  - Alcohol and drug abuse
  - Depression and anxiety
  - Eating and sleep disorders
  - Feelings of shame and guilt
  - Phobias, panic disorder
  - Physical inactivity
  - Poor self esteem
  - Post traumatic stress disorder
  - Psychosomatic disorders
  - Suicidal behaviors, self harm
  - Unsafe sexual behavior

The influence of abuse on a person’s health can persist long after the abuse itself has stopped.

The more severe the abuse, the greater its impact on a person’s physical and mental health.

The impact over time of different types of abuse and of multiple episodes of abuse appears to be cumulative.

                                           III Children who are exposed to neglect, violence and abuse
                                                    Source: Futures Without Violence
                                                    The Adverse Child Experiences (ACE) Study

Childhood events, specifically abuse and emotional trauma, have profound and enduring effects on the neuroregulatory systems mediating medical illness as well as on behavior from childhood into adult life.

What is an Adverse Childhood Event (ACE)? Experiencing any of the following prior to age 18:
  - Physical abuse by a parent
  - Emotional abuse by a parent
  - Sexual abuse by anyone
  - Growing up with an alcohol and/or drug abuser in the household
  - experiencing the incarceration of a household member
  - Living with a family member experiencing mental illness
  - Domestic violence
  - Loss of a parent
  - Emotional or physical neglect

Some findings of the ACE studies
People who experienced four or more adverse childhood events had:
  - increased risk for smoking, alcoholism and drug abuse
  - increased risk for depression and suicide attempts
  - poor self-rated health
  - 50 or more sexual partners
  - greater likelihood of sexually transmitted disease
  - challenges with physical inactivity and severe obesity

Additional findings related to similar scoring on the ACE study included:
  - likelihood of attempted suicide across the lifespan
  - increased risk for broken bones
  - heart disease
  - lung disease
  - liver disease
  - multiple types of cancer
  - impaired job functioning
  - homelessness
  - criminal justice involvement

For further information on the ACE study go to: www.ACEStudy.org