Has the rate of family violence in the United States increased or decreased?
The rate of family violence fell between 1993 and 2002 from an estimated 5.4 victims to 2.1 victims per 1,000 U.S. residents age 12 or older. Throughout this period, family violence accounted for about 1 in 10 violent victimizations. (Source: Family Violence Statistics, Bureau of Justice Statistics, June 2005.) According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the number of men murdered by intimates dropped by 75 percent since 1976, but the number of women killed by intimates was stable for nearly two decades. Approximately 11 percent of murder victims were determined to have been killed by an intimate. Female murder victims are substantially more likely than male murder victims to have been killed by an intimate partner. Nonfatal intimate partner victimization has declined from 5.8 percent in 1993 to 2.6 percent in 2004 (rate per 1,000 persons age 12 and older). Other statistics relating to family violence include:The majority (73 percent) of family violence victims were female. Females
