Doesn most domestic violence occur in poor or racial minority communities?
Abusers and victims come from all races, socioeconomic classes, ages, religious affiliations, sexual orientations, occupations, and backgrounds. Economic and social factors, however, influence the kind of help people seek. Affluent people can usually afford private help doctors, lawyers, therapists, hotels, travel expenses to get away while people with fewer financial resources tend to call the police or other public agencies. Therefore, people with lower incomes and members of racial minority communities tend to be over-represented in the statistics of public agencies, creating a distorted picture. Approximately one-third of the men counseled for battering at Emerge, a treatment program in Boston, MA, are professional men who are well respected in their jobs and their communities. These have included doctors, psychologists, lawyers, ministers, and business executives.
