Domestic abuse surges in U.S. military population: ABC

NEW YORK, July 20 (Xinhua) -- More than 42,000 incidents of domestic abuse were reported in the U.S. military population from 2015 to 2019, ABC on Tuesday cited the Defense Department.

However, according to a report in May 2021 by the Government Accountability Office, the information is not collected regularly and the number of incidents is probably higher, it said.

"The report shows 74 percent of the cases involved physical abuse, 22 percent comprise emotional abuse, 4 percent were sexual abuse while 1 percent was neglect," said ABC.

To combat the issue of domestic violence, military branches have established resources to address the problem and help victims, according to the report.

For example, the report said, the U.S. Army has a "Family Advocacy Program (FAP)," which is "dedicated to helping Soldiers and Families with the complex challenges related to domestic abuse, child abuse, and neglect."