The Sean “Diddy” Combs Trial Shines A Much Needed Light On Intimate Partner Violence

As the Sean Diddy Combs trial ends its third week, a long list of sorted details into Comb’s now notorious “freak offs” have emerged and stunned the public. Among those details are disturbing testimony that Cassie Ventura Fine — model, singer, and former girlfriend of Combs — shared during the first week of the trial. Much of her testimony centered around her alleged experiences of physical, verbal, and emotional abuse at the hands of Combs. Although he is not being charged with domestic violence or assault, many have felt her testimony was compelling and spoke to a much larger issue that women around the world experience daily — domestic abuse or intimate-partner violence (IPV).

According to the Emory University School of Medicine, women are 5 to 8 times more likely than men to be victimized by an intimate partner, and every year, nearly 5.3 million incidents of intimate partner violence occur among U.S. women aged 18 and older. In fact, women between 16 and 24 years of age are most likely to be victimized by an intimate partner, and over 47% of women have encountered contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime. Sadly, most IPV incidents are not reported to the police, with only 20% of rapes and sexual assaults, 25% of physical assaults, and 50%…