BadbishAC

Ross. You cheated on Julie, the moment Rachel showed any interest. Then you fucking slept with Chloe, when they weren't even twenty four, nay, twelve hours into their break.

Then you cheated on Bonnie with Rachel later on.

Me:

“The numbers are familiar but never fail to shock. One in four women will experience violence at the hands of their partner. Homicide is a leading cause of death for women younger than 44 years old, and nearly half of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former partner. African American and American Indian/Alaska Native women are at even greater risk than others, and women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV, also known as domestic violence) are more in danger of being killed by their partner. These horrifying statistics are not new, but what you may not know is that researchers have recently identified an important predictor of increased violent behavior in perpetrators of IPV.

We used to think all abusers were equal. They are not.

Our research has now made clear that when a man puts his hands around a woman’s neck, he has just raised his hand and said, “I’M A KILLER.” They are more likely to kill police officers, to kill children, and to later kill their partners. So, when you hear “He choked me,” now we know:

YOU ARE AT THE EDGE OF A HOMICIDE.

According to the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention, “A woman who has suffered a nonfatal strangulation incident with her intimate partner is 750% more likely to be killed by the same perpetrator…with a gun.” That is a staggering number, and it’s not a coincidence. Researchers and law enforcement professionals have determined that nonfatal strangulation is a leading indicator of escalating violence in a relationship and an important risk factor for homicide in women.

Why Is Strangulation Different Than Other Types of IPV?

One reason that strangulation is a particularly concerning warning sign in IPV is because of what it represents: Control, taken from the victim and placed in the hands of the perpetrator, who, in the moment of violence, has the power to literally take the breath of the victim. It can take only seconds to lose consciousness during a strangulation incident, and the line between fatal and nonfatal strangulation is perilously thin.