Authored by: bec ritchie, NGO CSW/NY Advocacy & Admin Intern
Though it is vital to address the issue of gender-based violence across the globe, it is equally important to remain aware of and engaged with the issues in our immediate communities, as well as their corresponding resources.
In 2001, the NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV) was established, envisioning a City free from domestic and gender-based violence to improve health and safety for all New Yorkers.’ According to their 2023 Annual Report, in New York City, there were 73 domestic violence homicides, which included 32 intimate partner homicides and 41 family homicides. The New York City Police Department responded to 245,018 domestic incident reports (DIRs) and of these DIR reports, 116,878 were intimate partner-related and 89,223 were family-related. It is important to remember that statistics surrounding gender-based and domestic violence have a tendency to be inaccurate, due to the underreporting of such instances by victims. According to UN Women, less than 40% of the women who experience violence seek help of any sort. This can be a result of fear of retaliation from abusers, the lack of a support system, and a lack of confidence in the efficacy of authorities, amongst other factors.
While it is important to bear this in mind, according to the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Agency (designated by New York state as the clearinghouse for information and materials related to domestic violence), 2023 saw a reported decrease in gender-based intimate partner violence in New York City, specifically:
- In 2023, the total number of intimate partner violence homicide victims reported decreased by 33% compared to 2022, falling from 33 victims in 2022 to 22 in 2023.
- The proportion of female victims in intimate partner violence homicides decreased from 88% in 2022 to 82% in 2023, a 6-percentage-point decrease.
- In 2023, 21% of homicide victims were female, down from 22% in 2022. This also represents a 10-percentage point drop compared to 2019 when female victims made up 31% of total homicide victims outside of New York City.
However, although the number of Black and Hispanic intimate partner homicide victims fell from 16 in 2022 to 12 in 2023, the percentage of intimate partner homicide victims who were Black or Hispanic increased to 55%, up from 48% in 2022 and 44% in 2019.
Women of color experience gender-based violence at a higher rate than white women. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, African American women experience intimate partner violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white women. Asian American women are the least likely group to report abuse, so estimates of the prevalence of domestic violence among Asian Americans vary. However, somewhere between 21% and 55% of Asian women report experiencing physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner during their lifetime. Approximately 1 in 3 Latinas (34.4 %) will experience domestic violence during their lifetime, and 48% of Native American or Alaska Native women have reported experiencing rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
Last month, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the appointment of Saloni Sethi (who has served as acting ENDGBV commissioner since February 2024 and has worked with ENDBGV for six years in total) as the commissioner of the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV). On her official appointment, Sethi had the following to say: ‘Serving New Yorkers impacted by domestic and gender-based violence over the past six years has been an honor for me both personally and professionally. I am proud of the strides we have made to expand access to resources and support for survivors and thrilled for the opportunity to lead ENDGBV’s work in partnership with its incredibly talented and dedicated staff. I look forward to deepening our collaborations with community-based providers, city partners, law enforcement, and survivors to ensure that diverse groups of survivors have what they need to heal from abuse and live lives free of gendered violence.’
Information & Resources:
New York City Mayor Office’s Annual 16 Days Of Activism Against Gender-based Violence Campaign
New York City Government Domestic and Gender-Based Violence Support & Resource List
