Generational Cycle: "Violence promotes violence." Children who witness domestic violence learn that violence solves problems and are likely to abuse their own spouse or kids.

Children of all ages are suffer: Children are affected by domestic violence from the beginning of their lives. 20% of pregnant women experience domestic violence and this begins to affect their children before they are even born. Even young infants know when their mothers are tense or fearful. Infants, toddlers and young children can be caught in the middle of the abuse and may be injured during battering epidsodes.

Statistics:

• In a household survey, it was found that pregnant women are 60.6% more likely to be beaten than women who are not pregnant. Violence is cited as a pregnancy complication more often than diabetes, hypertension or any other serious complication.
• In a national survey of over 6,000 American families, 50% of the men who frequently assaulted their wives also frequently abused their children.
• Child abuse is 15 times more likely to occur in families where domestic violence is present.
• Men who have witnessed their parents' domestic violence are three times more likely to abuse their own wives than children of non violent parents, with the sons of the most violent parents being 1,000 times more likely to become wife beaters.
• A comparison of delinquent and non-delinquent youth found that a history of family violence or abuse is the most significant difference between the two groups.
• Over 3 million children are at the risk of exposure to parental violence each year.