Intimate Partner Violence and Child Abuse
by Kelly M. Glenn
Intimate Partner Violence does not live in a vacuum.
In homes where a parent or guardian will abuse the other parent or guardian, we know the risk of child abuse in the home increases, and vice versa: in homes where a parent or guardian abuse a child or children, there is a higher likelihood that intimate partner violence exists between the adults.
According to a 2006 article in the Journal of Family Psychology titled Estimating the Number of American Children Living in Partner-Violent Families, “approximately 15.5 million American children were estimated to live in families in which partner violence had occurred at least once in the previous year, with 7 million estimated to live in families in which severe partner violence had occurred.”
In the 2018 Child Maltreatment report, the Department of Health and Human Resources reported that out of 668,149 unique victims of child maltreatment, 612,530 were victimized by at least one parent.
This means that in nearly 92% of reported child maltreatment cases that year, abuse was caused by mom, dad, mom and dad, mom and another partner, or dad and another partner.
Most domestic violence programs and shelters across the country have resources to assist parents who are victims, as well as their children who may also be victims of abuse. If you or someone you know needs emotional support, safe housing, or referrals to assistance, visit DomesticShelters.org.
Suggested Citation for this Article
Glenn, K.M., Criminal Justice Know How, LLC, October 2020, Intimate Partner Violence and Child Abuse. https://criminaljusticeknowhow.com/domestic-violence-and-child-abuse/.
