What is domestic violence?
Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior where one intimate partner or spouse exerts power and control over the other. Domestic violence can include physical violence, coercion, threats, intimidation, isolation, and emotional, sexual or economic abuse. Perpetrators of abuse may use the children to manipulate the victims: by harming the children directly; by threatening to harm or abduct the children; by using visitation as an occasion to harass or monitor victims; or by fighting protracted custody battles to punish victims. Perpetrators often invent complex rules about what victims or the children can or cannot do, and force victims to abide by these frequently changing rules.
Domestic violence is a pattern of one partner controlling another through threats and abuse. It is a learned behavior; it can be unlearned if the abuser takes responsibility for his/her actions and seeks help. This broad definition can alert you to the early signs of escalating emotional and verbal brutality found in domestic violence, even before you witness or suffer a physical assault. Domestic violence is abuse by one’s partner/spouse or ex-partner/spouse. It can be: Emotional/Verbal: name-calling, threats, isolation… Physical: pushing, slapping, kicking, strangling, burning, use of weapons or objects… Sexual: unwanted touching, false accusations, sexual put-downs, rape…
Domestic violence is any violent behavior used by one person in a relationship to control the other. Partners may be married or not married, living together, separated or dating. Violence can be criminal and includes: physical assault, sexual abuse, and stalking. Although emotional, psychological and financial abuses are not criminal behaviors, they are forms of abuse and can lead to criminal violence.
Domestic violence is defined by the relationship of the victim to the defendant, not by crime committed; it includes any harmful physical, or threat thereof, occurring between current or former family and household members, sexual or intimate partners (including homosexual partners). Domestic violence generally represents a pattern of behavior rather than a single isolated incident. This pattern can take on many forms, all of them involving physical violence or threats of physical violence, the pattern almost always includes emotional, sexual and economic abuse as well.
Domestic violence crimes are about power, control, domination and fear. When one person exhibits a pattern of attempting to gain power and control over someone they have or had a relationship with, by using physical and sexual violence, threats, emotional abuse, financial control, legal status, harassment, or stalking, he/she is committing domestic violence. These control factors are also used to alienate victims from their family, friends, and co-workers, providing the victim no feasible support system to leave the relationship. (Domestic violence is also known as partner abuse and spousal abuse.
