5 things to know following Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October was National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and while it has come to a close, domestic violence continues to impact victims locally and beyond. As November begins, here are five things to know about domestic violence in the Bronx year-round, and what resources are here to help.

What is domestic violence?

The definition of domestic violence has evolved over the years, broadening from only physical violence between a romantic couple.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship, used to gain power over an intimate partner. This includes abuse that is physical, sexual, emotional, economic, psychological or technological, the department said. It can also manifest as coercive behavior, which could mean patterns of intimidation, manipulation, humiliation or isolation.

Who is a ‘domestic’ partner?

New York’s criminal law defines domestic partners as “family or household members.” This includes blood relatives, in-laws, married couples, ex-spouses regardless of whether they live together, people who have a child together, people who aren’t related but have lived together and people who have been in an intimate relationship, sexually or otherwise.

The Bronx and domestic violence

According to the city’s independent budget office, measuring citywide domestic violence rates is challenging. Incidents are underreported, means of tracking aren’t centralized and some data poses safety and privacy risks for survivors.

One consistent and geographically-specific method used by the office is “radio run” rates for domestic violence-related calls. A radio run refers to the number of times a unit is dispatched.

Five precincts in the South Bronx consistently recorded the highest radio run rates citywide over several years, the office found. Economic hardship, which the South Bronx is disproportionately impacted by, is a risk factor for violence, the office said.

The 50th Precinct — which includes Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, Kingsbridge, Van Cortlandt Village, Marble Hill and parts of Kingsbridge Heights — recorded 17 radio runs per 1,000 residents in 2024, the lowest number in the borough. The 52nd Precinct, which includes parts of Kingsbridge Heights, recorded 37 radio runs per 1,000 residents the same year. The highest rates were found in the 40th and 42nd precincts, both of which serve parts of the South Bronx, and individually recorded 64 radio runs per 1,000 residents, the office found.

According to the most recent available data from the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender Based Violence, the Bronx had five intimate partner homicides in 2024, the second lowest of the boroughs. It also saw 12 family homicides, the highest citywide.

Police recorded about 30,000 incident reports for intimate partner domestic violence in 2024, and around the same amount for family domestic violence — the second highest citywide, after Brooklyn, the office found.

Citywide rates persist

According to the nonprofit Urban Justice Center, domestic violence rates have remained high in the city despite other violent crime numbers decreasing since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Using reports from the mayor’s office, the center found that after a sharp 5.4% increase in 2022, intimate partner violence rates decreased only 1.9% the next year, and 0.7% the year after that. In 2024, there was a 10% jump in intimate partner violence-related homicides, the center said.

Resources are available

These numbers can provide crisis intervention, emotional support, education on domestic violence, and resources such as housing and case management:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233

• New York City Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-621-HOPE (4673)

• Safe Horizon SafeChat: safehorizon.org/safechat

• Kingsbridge Heights Community Center Crisis Hotline: 718-884-0700 ext. 193
After Hours: 718-884-0700 ext. 100

• NYC Family Justice Center, Bronx: 718-508-1220

• National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 988