Gender-Based Violence State Brief

Texas

All data in this brief are specific to the state of Texas. 

Download the PDF

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS

Sexual Violence (SV)

36% of women and 26% of men have experienced rape, sexual coercion, or unwanted sexual contact in their lifetime. There are over 6.5 million survivors in Texas alone (NISVS, 2023/2024).

22% of women and 12% of men first experienced sexual violence when they were under the age of 18 (NISVS, 2016/2017).

15% of female high school students experienced sexual violence in the past year (YRBS, 2019).

21% of high school students who report sexual contact with same sex partners experienced sexual violence in the year prior to a student survey (YRBS, 2019).

16%

16% of women have experienced completed or attempted rape in their lifetime (NISVS, 2023/2024).

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

30% of women and 24% of men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. There are over 5.8 million survivors of IPV in Texas alone (NISVS, 2023/2024).

11% of women and 9% of men first experienced IPV when they were under the age of 18 (NISVS, 2016/2017).

14% of female high school students experienced physical dating violence in the past year (YRBS, 2023).

24% of gay, lesbian, or bisexual high school students experienced physical dating violence in the past year (YRBS, 2023).

26%

26% of women and 19% of men have experienced at least one IPV-related impact* in their lifetime (NISVS, 2023/2024).

INTIMATE PARTNER HOMICIDE

Between 2020 and 2023, 241 Texas women were killed by their intimate partners. The rate of intimate partner homicide was more than 2.5 times higher for Black women (1.81 per 100,000 women) than white women (0.67 per 100,000 women).

Stalking

Nearly 1 in 5 women has experienced stalking in their lifetime (NISVS, 2023/2024).

Human Trafficking

Between December 2024 and December 2025, there were 308 victims of commercial sex trafficking identified through police records.

In 2024, the Human Trafficking Hotline received calls identifying 2,439 victims of human trafficking (either sex or forced labor trafficking).

Sexual violence, domestic violence, stalking, and human trafficking remain among the most underreported crimes globally.

Today’s Key Priorities in GBV Prevention and Response

The first U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence was released in 2023, informed by a comprehensive, national process that engaged survivors, advocates, and other stakeholders. This policy overview is organized around selected National Plan priority areas, with a brief summary describing policies responsive to GBV prevention or survivor support.

  • GBV Responsive
  • Some elements GBV responsive
  • Not GBV responsive

Priority Area 1: Prevention

DV training for healthcare workers is not encouraged or required in state policy (2019).

State law requires or encourages training for prevention of human trafficking among specified professions or in specific locations (2024). Required for commercial drivers licensing.

State law mandates child sexual abuse CSA education to some or all students and some or all staff (2025). Required for students K-12 students, school staff, and caregivers.

Priority Area 2: Survivor Support, Safety, and Well-being

Texas has 93 Domestic Violence Service Providers (2025).

State policy protects survivors of IPV from insurance discrimination for health insurance and life insurance, but not for disability insurance, or property insurance (2019).

Priority Area 3a: Housing Stability

No state law addresses allowing for court/protection orders to remove abusive partners and other violent perpetrators from a shared home (2024).

State law allows for early lease termination for IPV, SV, or stalking survivors with protections from financial penalty (2024). Evidence requirements may differ by state. See state policy for details.

Landlords are not legally required to change locks for individuals experiencing GBV (2024).

GBV survivors are not legally protected from being evicted by landlords due to the GBV they experienced (2024).


State officials conduct an annual point-in-time count to estimate the number of unhoused individuals in each state and locality. In a single night, there were 2,918 unhoused IPV survivors counted in Texas (2025).

Priority Area 3b: Economic Security

As of 2023, the criminal definition of domestic violence does not include elements of economic coercion or abuse.

No existing policy allows survivors to take leave from employment due to the consequences of abuse (2025).

GBV survivors are not legally protected against employer discrimination or retaliation against them based on their status as a survivor (2025).

State law allows survivors who must leave or quit work due to family violence, stalking, or sexual assault-related circumstances to remain eligible for unemployment benefits (2025). The claimant may need to show proof of violence or harassment to qualify.

Economic insecurity is both a risk factor for and a consequence of GBV victimization. Some women in Texas are more likely to face economic insecurity than others. In Texas (2024), among full-time, year-round workers, for every $1 a white man makes, a white non-Hispanic woman makes $0.75, a Black woman makes $0.60, a Native HI/Other PI woman makes $0.51, an Indigenous woman makes $0.49, and a Latina woman makes $0.48.

Priority Area 4: Online Safety and Security

As of 2025, the criminal definition of stalking is inclusive of online tactics (cyberstalking). Direct cyber components are included in the legal definition of stalking/harassment.

State law criminalizes AI-generated Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) as part of the definition of CSAM (2025).20

Additional state online safety laws prohibit unauthorized installation of tracking devices, invasive visual recordings, and unlawful disclosure of residence address or telephone number (Doxxing) (2025). As of 2026, all U.S. states have criminalized nonconsensual distribution of intimate images.

Priority Area 5: Legal and Justice Systems

Survivors of GBV can file for protective orders against stalking (2025). Survivors of stalking, regardless of their relationship to the perpetrator, can file for protective orders, no-contact orders, or civil injunctions.

State policy does not establish a Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, although establishing one is allowed or encouraged (2019).

Access to Guns

This state does not have an extreme risk/red flag gun law allowing courts to temporarily limit an individual from purchasing or possessing firearms (2026).

As of 2026, no state law addresses the “boyfriend loophole” in IPV-related firearm restriction/ relinquishment (i.e., dating partners may be excluded from enforcement).

Rape Kit Policy

State policy requires existence of a Rape Kit Tracking System (2026).

State policy establishes deadlines for submission and testing of newly submitted rape kits (2026). See state policy for details.

State policy establishes a Victims’ Right to Know for rape kit progress (2026). Survivors have the right to information, upon request, of the location and results of their kit.

Sources

  1. CDC. (2025). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2023/2024 Sexual violence data brief [PDF]. https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/media/pdfs/sexualviolence-brief.pdf. Retrieved Jan. 12, 2026.
  2. CDC. (2023). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2016–2017 state report [PDF]. https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/documentation/NISVS-2016-2017-State-Report-508.pdf. Retrieved Feb. 18, 2026.
  3. CDC. (2023). Youth Risk Behavior Survey data explorer. https://yrbs-explorer.services.cdc.gov/#/. Retrieved Feb. 17, 2026.
  4. CDC. (2026). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: Intimate partner violence data brief [PDF]. https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/media/ pdfs/intimatepartnerviolence-brief.pdf. Retrieved Mar. 2, 2026.
  5. CDC. (2019–2023). WISQARS National Violent Death Reporting System report: Intimate partner violence, women ages 15–85+, 2019–2023. https:// wisqars.cdc.gov/. Retrieved Apr. 16, 2026.
  6. CDC. (2025). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2023/2024 Stalking data brief [PDF]. https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/media/pdfs/ stalking-brief.pdf. Retrieved Jan. 12, 2026.
  7. Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2024–2025). Crime Data Explorer. https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/LATEST/webapp/#/pages/home. Retrieved Apr. 15, 2026.
  8. National Human Trafficking Hotline. (2024). https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/statistics. Retrieved Feb. 21, 2026.
  9. The White House. (2023). U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence: Strategies for Action. https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/ uploads/2023/05/National-Plan-to-End-GBV.pdf. May 2023.
  10. Futures Without Violence. (2019). Compendium of state and U.S. territory statutes and policies on domestic violence and health care (4th ed.) [PDF]. https://store.futureswithoutviolence.org/product/us-state-and-territory-compendium/. Retrieved Mar. 5, 2026. Texas law: (Tex. Educ. Code § 130.0105); (Tex. Ins. Code Ann. §§ 544.151–544.158); (Tex. Health & Safety Code §§ 672.001–672.013).
  11. U.S. Department of Transportation. (2024). Compendium of transport-specific human trafficking state and territory laws: A resource guide (2nd ed.) [PDF]. Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking initiative. https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2024-07/USDOT%20TLAHT%20HT%20 Laws%20Compendium%20-%202024%20Edition_0.pdf. Retrieved Feb. 24, 2026.
  12. Enough Abuse. (2025). State Laws Mandating or Allowing Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education in Schools. https://enoughabuse.org/get-vocal/laws-by-state/prevention-education/. Retrieved June 1, 2026. Texas law: (H.B. 1041, “Jenna’s Law” (2009)).
  13. National Network to End Domestic Violence. (2025). Domestic Violence Counts: 19th Annual Report. https://nnedv.org/content/domestic-violence-counts-19th-annual-report/. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  14. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2025). CoC homeless populations and subpopulations reports. https://www.hudexchange.info/ programs/coc/coc-homeless-populations-and-subpopulations-reports/. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  15. National Housing Law Project. (2024). Housing rights of domestic violence and sexual assault survivors: A state and local law compendium [PDF]. https:// www.nhlp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024-NHLP-Compendium-of-Housing-Rights-for-DVS.pdf. Retrieved Feb. 16, 2026. Texas law: (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.016); (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.0161).
  16. National Women’s Law Center. (2026). The Lifetime Wage Gap: State by State. https://nwlc.org/resource/the-lifetime-wage-gap-state-by-state/. Retrieved Apr. 14, 2026.
  17. FreeFrom. The National Survivor Financial Security Policy Map and Scorecard. https://mapandscorecard.freefrom.org. Current as of Dec. 15, 2023. Retrieved Feb. 2026.
  18. Legal Momentum. (2025). State guide on employment rights for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking [PDF]. https://www. legalmomentum.org/sites/default/files/reports/50%20State%20Survivor%20Guide.pdf. Retrieved Feb. 12, 2026. Texas law: (Tex. Lab. Code § 207.046(a) (2)).
  19. Women’s Law. (Texas page last updated Nov. 2025). State Map. https://www.womenslaw.org/laws?reset-state=1. Retrieved Mar. 3, 2026. Texas law: (§ 42.072(a)(1), referencing § 42.07(a)(7), (8), (9)); (§§ 16.06, 21.15, 42.074); (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. arts. 7B.001(a)(1), 7B.002).
  20. Enough Abuse. (2025). State laws criminalizing AI-generated or computer-edited child sexual abuse material (CSAM). https://enoughabuse.org/get-vocal/ laws-by-state/state-laws-criminalizing-ai-generated-or-computer-edited-child-sexual-abuse-material-csam/. Retrieved Mar. 6, 2026. Texas law: (Tex. Penal Code § 43.26).
  21. Cyber Civil Rights Initiative. (n.d.). Nonconsensual distribution of intimate images. https://cybercivilrights.org/nonconsensual-distribution-of-intimate-images/. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  22. Everytown Research & Policy. (2026). 2026 Everytown Gun Law Rankings. https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/. Retrieved Feb. 9, 2026.
  23. End the Backlog. (2026). Pillar map. https://www.endthebacklog.org/#explore_backlog_map. Retrieved Mar. 10, 2026. Texas law: (H.B. 281 (2017)); (H.B. 8 (2019) and S.B. 1636 (2011)); (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 56A.52).