Domestic violence is not new. It has existed throughout the world for centuries. In the late 20th century, a growing movement started to raise awareness of this longstanding social problem. As a result, the Federal and state governments enacted laws designed to assist victims and hold violent offenders accountable.
Domestic violence can be a felony or a misdemeanor, depending on the charges the offender faces, and whether they have been convicted of the same or similar offenses before.
Statistics
Domestic violence represents a major public health concern and affects millions of Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that 41% of women and 26% of men have experienced violence from an intimate partner and reported it in their lifetime. Domestic abuse reports include physical violence, sexual violence, and stalking.
Definition of Domestic Violence
Understanding the definition of domestic violence can help people take more effective action against it. For instance, not all victims of crime recognize the signs of an abusive relationship, and family members who grew up in a home with domestic violence are at risk of becoming victims or abusers themselves.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women, domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship used by one partner to gain or maintain control over another intimate partner. In criminal law, the crime of domestic violence may occur in one or more incidents. It may include an attempted assault or threats of imminent physical harm. It may take the form of sexual assault. It may encompass the psychological abuse involved in stalking.
Abusive partners may use a combination of physical, sexual, psychological, and financial abuse to intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, scare, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, or injure their spouses/partners.
Another form of domestic violence is intimate partner violence (IPV). An intimate partner can be a current or former spouse, a boyfriend or girlfriend, a dating partner, or a sexual partner. Domestic violence and IPV affect people of all ages in all communities and of any economic status, gender, race, religion, and sexual orientation.
Many people do not realize they are in abusive relationships, especially not at first. From within the relationship, the signs of domestic violence can appear like something else, such as stress, love, passion, or jealousy. The abused partner may see the behavior as normal or may think they caused it.
Everyone should be educated on the fact that no one has the right to hurt them, and that domestic violence is not a crime of passion. It is abuse.
No matter what people call it – domestic violence, domestic abuse, IPV, battery, or sexual violence – it is abuse, and people can reach out for help. For example, the National Domestic Violence Hotline provides free, confidential support 24/7.
Help for Abusive Partners
Abusive partners can learn how to stop hurting their partners, but they are the only ones who can change their behavior. Some communities have batterer intervention programs to help abusive partners learn how to stop. Visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline’s website for information on these programs.
A Final Word
If someone is in immediate danger, they should find a safe place to go, such as:
A police station.
A friend’s house.
A domestic violence shelter.
A fire station.
A public area.
If they cannot get out of danger, but can get to a phone, they should call 911.
You can help inform and protect your community from domestic violence! Explore our extensive library to find the right Health and Wellness products for your community.