What is Domestic Violence?
There is no one agreed-upon definition for domestic violence, as definitions are inconsistent between jurisdictions reporting statistics (i.e. city and county) as well as sectors (nonprofits, government, healthcare, etc.). Thus, a broad definition of domestic violence, also sometimes referred to as family violence is used and encouraged.
Domestic violence is violence or abuse in any form, by one person against another in a domestic (i.e. family) setting, and includes intimate partner violence which is one specific type of domestic violence. DV is a leading cause of homicides in Spokane County.
Power and Control Wheel
Abuse is characterized by the pattern of action that an individual uses to intentionally control or dominate their intimate partner. That is why the words "power and control" are in the center of the wheel. The abusive individual systematically uses threats, intimidation, and coercion to instill fear in their partner. These behaviors are the spokes of the wheel. Physical and sexual violence holds it all together - this violence is the rim of the wheel. (Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs)
Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs
202 E Superior Street, Duluth, Minnesota 55802
218-722-2781 www.theduluthmodel.org
Domestic Violence by the Numbers in Spokane:
Here in Spokane County
Domestic violence hurts thousands of women, children, and men in Spokane County every year, and often goes unseen and unheard. The End The Violence Coalition (ETVC), a partnership among many people and multiple organizations in Spokane, is working on a plan to End the Violence in our communities and to advocate for the voice and needs of DV victims and survivors.
One in every three women and one in every 10 men are victims of domestic abuse in the Spokane region (Spokane Regional Health District).
Domestic Violence has been identified as one of the leading cause of calls to law enforcement as well as homicides in Spokane County.
According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, domestic violence is also a leading cause of homelessness nationwide.
Did You Know
There are 103 Missing Native American Persons identified by the Washington State Patrol as of 4/1/2021. 52 Cases (50.5% of the total number of cases) originate in Eastern Washington in the 509 Area Code. In Spokane, 5 of the 9 cases are children, between the ages of 14 and 17. Statewide, nearly 40 percent of the active cases involve children under the age of 18 (Source).
More than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women and men have experienced violence in their lifetime, and more than one in three experienced violence in the past year, according to a 2016 report from the National Institute of Justice. As stated by the Native American Coalition, "Missing and murdered Indigenous women have disappeared not once, but three times, in life, in the media and in the data.” Native women living on tribal lands are murdered at an extremely high rate of more than 10 times the national average according to Department of Justice (DOJ).
Resources
You have options: Where to turn for help.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY: DIAL 911
For those in crisis or having thoughts of suicide: Regional Behavioral Health 24/7 Crisis Line: (877) 266-1818
Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Prevention Resources.
YWCA Spokane
- 24/7 Domestic Violence Hotline (509)326-2255
- Text Line (509) 220-3725
- ywcaspokane.org
Lutheran Community Services Spokane
- Sexual violence, Non-intimate partner domestic violence, and other trauma services
- (509) 624-7273
- lcsnw.org
Kalispel Tribe Victim Assistance Services
- 24/7 Hotline (509)700-7175
Mujeres in Action (MIA)
- Se Habla Espanol
- Primera Conexión
- (509) 795-2028
- miaspokane.org
Fairchild AFB Victim Services
- 24/7 Hotline (509)247-2016
Safe Passage Idaho/North Idaho
- (208)664-9303
- Text Line (208) 449-7228