Domestic Violence and African American Women

Domestic violence against women has gotten more attention since the Chris Brown and Rihanna debacle, however it is still an issue that doesn’t get the attention it deserves particularly in the African American community:

According to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2000, African American women experience domestic violence at a rate 35 percent higher than white women and 22 percent higher than women of other races. African Americans are more likely to suffer more lethal forms of violence, including being more likely to be killed by an intimate partner, compared to other populations. Domestic violence is a serious problem in the African American community that warrants grave attention.

Also as the economy worsens domestic violence against women is more likely to increase and anecdotal evidence suggests it is on the rise:

As our economy has gotten worse over the past few months, many women’s shelters have seen an increase in the number of women and their children trying to escape an abusive situation. Does this indicate that economics plays a role here? Are middle-class and upper-middle-class men less likely to abuse their partner and families?

Economics definitely play a role with regard to domestic violence. We have already seen the number of domestic violence incidents increase in the past year since our current economic downfall began reaching greater proportions of the U.S. population. We also recognize that domestic violence takes place across all socioeconomic groups.

Until we address much of the misogyny that is dominant in certain aspects of the African American community as well as finding a way to give poor women a sense of agency, black women will still be at risk of being battered and killed by their partners much more than other groups of women.

Hat Tip The Bay State Banner