What is the connection between domestic violence, sexual assault, and reproductive justice and how does it impact Black women?

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021

By Alana C. Brown, founder and executive director of The Safe Sisters Circle

Black women have a complicated historical and contemporary relationship with domestic violence and sexual abuse within the United States. This has resulted in the highest rates of both domestic violence and sexual abuse victimization for Black women than any other ethnic/racial group.

• An estimated 45.1% of Black women experience contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
• 35.5% of Black women experience some form of contact sexual violence during their lifetime.
• 21.2% of Black women report being raped during their lifetime.

Despite high rates of physical and sexual abuse, discriminatory practices against Black people, and Black women and femmes in particular, have led to both a lack of access to quality sexual and reproductive care and/or ethical, nondiscriminatory healthcare treatment towards Black patients. In this month’s TAQ, Alana C. Brown, founder and executive director of The Safe Sisters Circle, explores the connections between domestic violence, sexual assault, and reproductive justice for Black women.

Source: What is the connection between domestic violence, sexual assault, and reproductive justice and how does it impact Black women?