What may be the first national survey to determine the extent of “reproductive coercion” was released on February 15 by the National Domestic Violence Hotline and Futures Without Violence, formerly Family Violence Prevention Fund. The survey found that 25 percent of callers to the National Domestic Violence Hotline reported that they had experienced this form of domestic and dating violence.
Reproductive coercion is defined as threats or acts of violence against a partner’s reproductive health or reproductive decision-making. It includes forced sex, a male partner pressuring a woman to become pregnant against her will and interference with the use of birth control. The women who reported this form of abuse said that their male partners either would not allow them to use birth control or sabotaged their birth control method (such as poking holes in condoms or flushing pills down the toilet). Some of the women said they had to hide their birth control.
“Birth control sabotage is a serious form of control that leads to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections,” said Futures Without Violence President Esta Soler. “While there is a cultural assumption that some women use pregnancy as a way to trap their partner in a relationship, this survey shows that men who are abusive will sabotage their partner’s birth control and pressure them to become pregnant as a way to trap or control their partner.”
More than 3,000 callers participated in the survey by answering all or some of four questions between August 16 and September 26, 2010. Callers’ ages ranged from 13 to over 55, with nearly 40 percent age 25 to 35. More than half of the callers were Caucasian, nearly one quarter were African-American, and 17 percent were Hispanic. Callers who were in immediate danger were not asked to participate in the study.
As a result of this study, the National Domestic Violence Hotline started to train its advocates on how to identify and support callers who experience reproductive coercion. “It is validating for women who are experiencing this form of abuse to know that they are not alone and that there is help available. You can really hear the change in their voice when they realize someone understands what they’ve been through.” said Hooper.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline was established by Congress in 1996. The Hotline is a nonprofit organization that provides crisis intervention, information and referral to victims of domestic violence, perpetrators, friends and families. The Hotline serves as the only national domestic violence hotline. Advocates receive approximately 21,000 calls each month. The Hotline is toll-free, confidential and anonymous. It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 1-800-799-SAFE. The Hotline is supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The kNOwMore initiative, which examines the consequences of reproductive coercion and violence, is online at www.KnowMoreSayMore.org.
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