Domestic Violence Stats

In 2011, we helped a total of 337 people through our services.
Of those 337 people, 82% came to us for assistance concerning Domestic Violence.

That means that approximately 279 of the people we helped were in some sort of Abusive relationship, whether with a family member, significant other, or close friend. At Pearl Crisis Center, we know that this is only a small portion of the people from Mille Lacs County who see and experience Domestic Violence.

Some Possible Warning Signs:

If Someone is Abusive, They May:
  • Believe that they should make all of the decisions.
  • Have severe mood swings.
  • Be extremely jealous - Not letting the victim talk to or be with anybody else.
  • Have outbursts of anger for no reason.
  • Abuse drugs and/or alcohol.
  • Want to control the actions of their partner/friend/family member.
If Someone is Abused, They May:
  • Believe that an abuser is better than being alone.
  • Have a sudden shift in personality.
  • Be isolated from friends, and dependent upon their abuser.
  • No longer be in control of their lifestyle (clothing, friends, and activities included).
  • Have low self-esteem.
  • Make excuses for their abuser's behavior.

Healthy and Abusive Relationships:

Sometimes, abusive relationships are easy to identify. Other times, the abuse is subtle, or even non-physical violence, but all abusive relationships have things in common. In general, these relationships tend to have an imbalance in power, with the abuser controlling or attempting to control most aspects of life.

Abusive Relationships Involve:

Intimidation,
Emotional Violence,
(For more info on non-physical abuse, click here.)
Isolation,
Minimizing, Denying, and Blame Shifting,
("I wouldn't do this if you would. . .")
Using Children,
Sexual Abuse,
AND/OR
Physical Violence.

Healthy Relationships Always Involve:

Non-Threatening Behaviour,
Respect,
Trust and Support,
Honesty and Accountability,
Responsible Parenting,
Shared Responsibility,
AND
Acceptance of People for Who They Are. 
The full version of Healthy vs. Abusive Relationships can be found here.