Domestic Violence | Graves & Swanson LLC

Domestic Violence: Facts and Figures

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence defines “domestic violence” as “the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another.”

Domestic and intimate partner violence ("IPV") may encompass a variety of issues, including physical or sexual violence, threats, financial coercion, and emotional or psychological abuse. IPV occurs among all races and socioeconomic groups, and in relationships amongst people of all different sexual orientations.

According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, over 10 million women and men in the United States experience physical violence each year by a current or former intimate partner. Furthermore, over 1 in 5 women (22.3%) and nearly 1 in 7 men (14.0%) have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime, translating to nearly 29 million U.S. women and nearly 16 million U.S. men.

How We Can Help

Domestic violence is a complex problem, and one that the attorneys at Graves & Swanson LLC are willing and able to handle with confidence, care and competence. Effective legal representation can result in more complete remedies tailored to the individual’s unique circumstances, while always taking into account the needs and desires of the client and the history of abuse.

We at Graves Swanson LLC understand that escaping an unhealthy relationship can be terrifying and difficult. On average, it takes a victim seven times to leave before staying away for good. It is especially important to take care when leaving (or considering leaving) an abusive relationship, as this is often the most dangerous time. For this reason, civil protection orders are an important tool for protecting victims of intimate partner violence. Oregon law provides several different types of restraining orders and social services programs which domestic violence victims can utilize, regardless of the person’s gender, sexual orientation or relationship status.

On the family law side, the attorneys at Graves & Swanson LLC can help domestic violence victims navigate legal separations, divorce, custody, parenting time, property division, child support and spousal support issues. Victims of intimate partner violence may also be able to bring a tort action against the batterer for compensation.

Economic security is one of the most important factors in whether a victim of domestic violence will be able to separate from an abusive partner, but domestic violence often interferes with victims’ ability to maintain jobs, thus causing job loss that further traps victims in abusive relationships. Fortunately, there are state and federal laws that can offer protections to domestic violence victims in the workplace, particularly with respect to safety accommodations or obtaining leave to take steps to address the domestic violence or its impacts.