Although I could not find a story of a specific case of
Intimate Partner Violence or Domestic Violence in Iowa, I did find a story
about a study done by the University of Iowa College of Public Health's Injury
Prevention Research Center. The study found that “women in rural and isolated
areas of Iowa experience higher rates of intimate partner violence and greater
frequency and severity of physical abuse than women in urban areas” according
to the Association of Schools of Public
Health (ASPH). They surveyed 1,478 women that were seeking an induced abortion.
Their findings showed that 61.5% of the women living in rural areas said that
they had experienced four or more events of physical violence in the past year.
This is compared to 39.3% of urban women. Also, rural women reported a higher
severity of abuse. Over 30% reported severe to very severe physical violence.
Ten percent of urban women reported severe to very severe physical violence.
The article states that one major reason for this difference is the distance
from domestic violence intervention resources.
In Iowa, domestic violence can
be either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the severity of the crime.
According to the Domestic Violence Intervention Program, Iowa law defines a
domestic relationship as:
·
Two
individuals that are married, divorced or separated.
·
Two
individuals that have lived together at some point in the past year.
·
Two
individual that have a child in common, whether or not they have been married,
divorced or living together at some point in the past year.
·
Two
individuals in an intimate relationship or have been within the past year.
The DVIP also states
that the consequences for domestic violence include jail time and having to
attend a Batterer’s Education Program.
There
are tons of places a victim of domestic violence in Iowa can go for help. A
very quick Google search produced a PDF a hundred pages long full of
information to help victims of domestic violence in Iowa. This included
information on help lines, shelters, police departments, medical centers, legal
services, national resources, and more.
I found
two pictures that were created to make a statement against domestic violence.
The first is a woman with a man’s hand covering her mouth. The second is a picture
of a severely beaten woman. The caption says “He says it won’t happen again.”
Article:
Iowa Law:
Resources:
Media:
