FACT:
1 in 4 women will experience abuse by an intimate partner sometime in her lifetime. Some studies have reported 1 in 3 women.1 in 7 men are victims of domestic violence.
Every 9 seconds a women is beaten.
The FBI estimates 3-4 million women are battered each year in the USA.
1 in 3 female victims of homicide are murdered by a current or former intimate partner.
According to the FBI, from 2001-2012, 11,766 women have been slain by their current or former intimate partner. That total is more than the 9/11 terror attacks and US troops killed in the Afghanistan and Iraq war COMBINED.
Carrie-Clock.com 
The sad reality is most people think of abuse as just physical. They don’t realize how much emotional abuse a woman endures before it gets physical and by the time that happens, she is so worn down emotionally and dependent on her abuser, she think has no other options but to stay. When people don’t see any injuries they don’t believe the abuse is happening and a leading predictor of future assaults is emotional abuse. Education is the key and with DV so prevalent in our society we all must stand up speak up. On another note the most dangerous of abusers are the ones; like mine who everyone thought was the greatest guy in the world. Worked hard, likeable, no criminal record, didn’t abuse drugs or alcohol etc etc which made him a even more dangerous man.
So true Kandyce! Emotional and verbal abuse are often precursors to the physical abuse. And although physical abuse is awful, the emotional and verbal abuse take far longer to heal. How frustrating to finally have the courage to stand up for yourself and have no one to believe you or support you since your batterer doesn’t fit society’s preconceived notions of what a batterer looks like and acts like. It’s important we teach our youth what true love looks like while modeling it in our adult relationships as best as we are able. Thanks for your input! Good stuff!