If a child lives with hostility, he or she learns to fight.

If a child lives with shame, he or she learns to feel guilty.

For children, families are a source of learning and love. All too often, however, intimate partner violence can disrupt this family refuge on which children and teens rely for stability, support and nurture. Children’s exposure to domestic violence is much more common than generally believed. The most recent national estimates indicate that 15.5 million children in two-parent households live in families in which intimate partner violence occurred at least once in the previous year. Seven million of these children live in households where the violence was considered severe. 1 A look across a range of studies has also shown that there is a 30-60 percent overlap of families with co-occurring child maltreatment and domestic violence.

If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he or she learns to find love in the world.

Children who live with and are aware of violence in the home face many challenges and risks that can last throughout their lives. Every child has the right to grow up safe from harm and should feel that those they love are also protected. Violence in the home shatters a child’s basic right to feel safe and secure in the world. Children need the violence to stop.