If You’re A Woman, You’re More Likely To Be Murdered By Your Significant Other Than Anyone Else

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They say you’re more likely to be sexually assaulted by someone you know than a stranger, and it turns out that’s not the only terrifying statistic out there today — apparently, you’re also a lot more likely to get murdered by someone you’re seeing than anyone else.

According to a report released by the CDC, 10,018 female homicides occurred in the U.S. between 2003 and 2014. Of those murders, a whopping 93% were done by the people you’d expect the least — boyfriends, husbands and lovers.

This finding highlights part of what makes being a woman so terrifying — that we not only have to fear the strangers in dark alleyways, but also the people we trust the most in broad daylight, or any time of the day at all. We must constantly worry about protecting ourselves even in situations where we ought to feel safe. In situations we ought to be safe.

While it’s a harrowing statistic, it’s an important one for women to be aware of. One in three women will be a victim of domestic violence at some point in their lifetime; it’s crucial for them to act if they identify signs of abusive or violent behavior in their partner.

In fact, the researchers agree that teaching young women to recognize unhealthy relationships habits can be a preventative method that could help lower these statistics in the future:

“Teaching young persons safe and healthy relationship skills as well as how to recognize situations or behaviors that might become violent are effective IPV primary prevention measures.”

Don’t ignore signs of possible domestic violence. If you or a friend are struggling with an abusive relationship, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.