Domestic Violence

Definitions

Domestic violence is physical, sexual or psychological abuse directed towards one’s spouse, partner, or other family member within the household.

CAFCASS in the United Kingdom in its "Domestic Violence Policy" uses domestic violence to refer to a range of violent and abusive behaviours, defining it as:

Patterns of behaviour characterised by the misuse of power and control by one person over another who are or have been in an intimate relationship. It can occur in mixed gender relationships and same gender relationships and has profound consequences for the lives of children, individuals, families and communities. It may be physical, sexual, emotional and/or psychological. The latter may include intimidation, harassment, damage to property, threats and financial abuse.

The New York State Coalition defines domestic violence as "abusive behavior - emotional, psychological, physical, or sexual - that one person in an intimate relationship uses in order to control the other. It takes many different forms and includes behaviors such as threats, name-calling, preventing contact with family or friends, withholding money, actual or threatened physical harm and sexual assault. Stalking can also be a form of domestic violence."

Domestic violence can be:

• Physical violence
  • Direct physical violence, ranging from unwanted physical contact to rape and murder.
  • Indirect physical violence, including destruction of objects, throwing objects near the victim, harm to animals
• Mental/emotional violence
  • Verbal threats of physical violence to the victim, the self, or others including children, ranging from explicit, detailed and impending to implicit and vague as to both content and time frame
  • Verbal violence, including threats, insults, put-downs, attacks
  • Nonverbal threats, including gestures, facial expressions, body postures
• Economic/social abuse
• Controlling victim's money and other economic resources, preventing victim from seeing friends and relatives, actively sabotaging victim's social relationships and isolating victim from social contacts.
• Spiritual abuse

Keywords: definition of domestic violence, domestic violence definition, what is the definition of domestic violence

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Leahy leads effort to strengthen anti-domestic violence lawvtdigger.org Domestic violence bill may include cyber-stalkingPlattsburgh Press Republican ?Technology must be safer? warns stalking and domestic violence charitiesFamily Law Week all 12 news articles » Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:03:50 GMT Victims Of Domestic Violence Break Their Silence - WDSU New Orleans Victims Of Domestic Violence Break Their Silence WDSU New Orleans NEW ORLEANS -- Two women who suffered from domestic violence tell WDSU how they received help in hopes that others will break their silence. WDSU was invited into a private property where victims of domestic violence live, meet or get help. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:25:30 GMT Page:  1