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Abstract: 

The deaths of two teenaged females at the hands of their abusive partners led Gael Strack to dive into the case files of the San Diego City Attorney’s Child Abuse/Domestic Violence Unit. There, she discovered 300 cases mentioning “choking,” a misnomer for the correct term—strangulation. Her review led to the discovery that strangulation is, contrary to prior belief, neither uncommon nor minor, but is “clearly the edge of homicide.” Like many other forms of domestic violence, it often leaves minor or no physical marks and rarely kills the victim immediately (although it very well may kill her in the long run). At the same time, strangulation sends a blatant message to the victim that the perpetrator is ready, willing, and able to kill her at any time. This introductory article provides us with the basic facts behind strangulation, facts that were relatively unknown before the landmark 1995-1996 San Diego review but are now, thanks in part to the work of these authors, common knowledge among those work in the field—that although strangulation may leave no visible marks, survivors may end up dying from even a single assault, and the long-term physical and emotional impacts may be profound and life-long.

Keywords: San Diego Child Abuse/Domestic Violence Unit; Non-Fatal Strangulation

Affiliations:  1: Alliance for HOPE International; 2: Alliance for HOPE International.