Domestic violence is a betrayal of the most fundamental trust. If there is any place we hope we can be safe, it should be in our homes with our families, and when domestic violence happens, this safety is no longer assured. Everyone in the home is affected when even one member of the family is abused by another.

Unfortunately, such abuse is prevalent in society, even though it might not be as public an issue as it should be. Arm yourself with some facts about domestic abuse by scrolling through the gallery below.


For more on domestic abuse, check these out on FN:

• Living in Fear: I was molested as a girl, physically abused as a woman
• Ruffa Gutierrez On Moving On After Abuse
• Ruffa Gutierrez cries listening to domestic violence stories, recalls her own experience
• Breaking the Cycle of Violence and Abuse
• Ruffa Gutierrez, Marc Nelson, and More Speak Out Against Domestic Violence

(First published in Good Housekeeping Magazine, Good Family section as "Keep It Real" in May 2009; adapted for use in Female Network)