Domestic and Sexual Violence in Virginia - Virginia Attorney General

Domestic andSexual Violencein VirginiaOn an average day in Virginia:» Domestic violence service providersrespond to 130 crisis situations,including 106 hotline calls and 24in-person requests for assistance. 5» Sexual violence service providersrespond to 34 crisis situations, including24 hotline calls and 10 in-personrequests for assistance. 6» Domestic violence shelters provideovernight accommodations to 505adults and 356 children. 7» law enforcement officers across theCommonwealth make nine arrests forviolations of protective orders. 8» Arrests are made for approximately 62instances of assault and battery against afamily or household member. 9» Magistrates issue 82 emergencyprotective orders to victims acrossthe Commonwealth. 10» there are more than 15,000 activeprotective orders in the VirginiaCriminal Information network(VCIn). 11the issues of domestic and sexual violence affectpeople of all ages, races, ethnic groups, andsocioeconomic backgrounds. these issues have directphysical and emotional consequences for tens of thousandsof victims, family members, and children. Domesticand sexual violence clearly impact the community as awhole. these criminal acts present a challenge for multipledisciplines, particularly during difficult economic times.In 2007 and 2008, agencies and organizations across theCommonwealth of Virginia devoted significant resourcesto the prevention of and response to domestic violenceand sexual assault incidents. these agencies and organizationsalso collected data to assess the current programs andservices in an effort to ensure the best resources at the stateand local level.How are domestic and sexual violence defined? What doesthe available data demonstrate about the current status ofdomestic and sexual violence in Virginia?As broadly defined by the Virginia Code, the term“domestic violence” means physical, emotional, psychological,and sexual acts committed by or threatened by oneperson against either:(1) a family or household member;(2) a person for whom he or she is a caretaker;(3) a person who has obtained a protective orderagainst him or her; or(4) a person with whom he or she has a childin common. 12Domestic violence can include elder abuse, abuse ofincapacitated adults between the ages of 18 and 59, childabuse, stalking, dating violence, sexual abuse, and traffickingin women and children. other terms often used inthe Virginia Code and elsewhere to describe domesticviolence, and the various relationships that fall within thebroader definition of domestic violence, include “familyabuse,” “spousal abuse,” and “intimate-partner violence.” 13the terms “sexual assault” or “sexual violence” implysexual contact without consent, and with or withoutthe use or threat of force, regardless of the relationshipof the parties. pursuant to the Virginia Code, sexualoffenses include rape (§18.2-61), forcible sodomy (§18.2-67.1), object sexual penetration (§18.2-67.2), aggravatedsexual battery (§18.2-67.3), sexual battery (§18.2-67.4),and attempted sexual offenses (§18.2-67.5). For state1