Domestic violence

Domestic violence
Other namesDomestic abuse, family violence
A purple ribbon is used to promote awareness of domestic violence.

Domestic violence is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. Domestic violence is often used as a synonym for intimate partner violence, which is committed by one of the people in an intimate relationship against the other person, and can take place in relationships or between former spouses or partners. In its broadest sense, domestic violence also involves violence against children, parents, or the elderly. It can assume multiple forms, including physical, verbal, emotional, economic, religious, reproductive, financial abuse, or sexual abuse. It can range from subtle, coercive forms to marital rape and other violent physical abuse, such as choking, beating, female genital mutilation, and acid throwing that may result in disfigurement or death, and includes the use of technology to harass, control, monitor, stalk or hack.[1][2] Domestic murder includes stoning, bride burning, honor killing, and dowry death, which sometimes involves non-cohabitating family members. In 2015, the United Kingdom's Home Office widened the definition of domestic violence to include coercive control.[3]

Worldwide, the victims of domestic violence are overwhelmingly women, and women tend to experience more severe forms of violence.[4][5][6][7] The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates one in three of all women are subject to domestic violence at some point in their life.[8] In some countries, domestic violence may be seen as justified or legally permitted, particularly in cases of actual or suspected infidelity on the part of the woman. Research has established that there exists a direct and significant correlation between a country's level of gender inequality and rates of domestic violence, where countries with less gender equality experience higher rates of domestic violence.[9] Domestic violence is among the most underreported crimes worldwide for both men and women.[10][11]

Domestic violence often occurs when the abuser believes that they are entitled to it, or that it is acceptable, justified, or unlikely to be reported. It may produce an intergenerational cycle of violence in children and other family members, who may feel that such violence is acceptable or condoned. Many people do not recognize themselves as abusers or victims, because they may consider their experiences as family conflicts that had gotten out of control.[12] Awareness, perception, definition and documentation of domestic violence differs widely from country to country. Additionally, domestic violence often happens in the context of forced or child marriages.[13]

In abusive relationships, there may be a cycle of abuse during which tensions rise and an act of violence is committed, followed by a period of reconciliation and calm. The victims may be trapped in domestically violent situations through isolation, power and control, traumatic bonding to the abuser,[14] cultural acceptance, lack of financial resources, fear, and shame, or to protect children. As a result of abuse, victims may experience physical disabilities, dysregulated aggression, chronic health problems, mental illness, limited finances, and a poor ability to create healthy relationships. Victims may experience severe psychological disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Children who live in a household with violence often show psychological problems from an early age, such as avoidance, hypervigilance to threats and dysregulated aggression, which may contribute to vicarious traumatization.[15]

  1. ^ Woodlock D (2017). "The Abuse of Technology in Domestic Violence and Stalking". Violence Against Women. 23 (5): 584–602. doi:10.1177/1077801216646277. ISSN 1077-8012. PMID 27178564. S2CID 26463963. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  2. ^ "WESNET Second National Survey on Technology abuse and domestic violence in Australia" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  3. ^ "Controlling or Coercive Behaviour in an Intimate or Family Relationship Statutory Guidance Framework" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on July 24, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  4. ^ McQuigg RJ (April 6, 2011), "Potential problems for the effectiveness of international human rights law as regards domestic violence", in McQuigg RJ (ed.), International human rights law and domestic violence: the effectiveness of international human rights law, Oxford New York: Taylor & Francis, p. xiii, ISBN 978-1-136-74208-8, archived from the original on May 15, 2016, This is an issue that affects vast numbers of women throughout all nations of the world. ... Although there are cases in which men are the victims of domestic violence, nevertheless 'the available research suggests that domestic violence is overwhelmingly directed by men against women ... In addition, violence used by men against female partners tends to be much more severe than that used by women against men. Mullender and Morley state that 'Domestic violence against women is the most common form of family violence worldwide.'
  5. ^ García-Moreno C, Stöckl H (2013), "Protection of sexual and reproductive health rights: addressing violence against women", in Grodin MA, Tarantola D, Annas GJ, et al. (eds.), Health and human rights in a changing world, Routledge, pp. 780–781, ISBN 978-1-136-68863-8, archived from the original on May 6, 2016, Intimate male partners are most often the main perpetrators of violence against women, a form of violence known as intimate partner violence, 'domestic' violence or 'spousal (or wife) abuse.' Intimate partner violence and sexual violence, whether by partners, acquaintances or strangers, are common worldwide and disproportionately affect women, although are not exclusive to them.
  6. ^ Miller E, McCaw B (February 28, 2019). Ropper AH (ed.). "Intimate Partner Violence". New England Journal of Medicine. 380 (9): 850–857. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1807166. ISSN 0028-4793. PMID 30811911. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  7. ^ US Preventive Services Task Force (October 23, 2018). "Screening for Intimate Partner Violence, Elder Abuse, and Abuse of Vulnerable Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Final Recommendation Statement". JAMA. 320 (16): 1678–1687. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.14741. ISSN 0098-7484. PMID 30357305. S2CID 205096590.
  8. ^ "Violence against women". World Health Organization. March 9, 2021. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  9. ^ Esquivel-Santoveña EE, Lambert TL, Hamel J (January 2013). "Partner abuse worldwide" (PDF). Partner Abuse. 4 (1): 6–75. doi:10.1891/1946-6560.4.1.6. S2CID 143682579. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 5, 2016.
  10. ^ Strong B, DeVault C, Cohen T (February 16, 2010). The Marriage and Family Experience: Intimate Relationships in a Changing Society. Cengage Learning. p. 447. ISBN 978-1-133-59746-9. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017.
  11. ^ Concannon D (July 11, 2013). Kidnapping: An Investigator's Guide. Newnes. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-12-374031-1. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017.
  12. ^ Halket MM, Gormley K, Mello N, Rosenthal L, Mirkin MP (2013). "Stay with or Leave the Abuser? The Effects of Domestic Violence Victim's Decision on Attributions Made by Young Adults". Journal of Family Violence. 29: 35–49. doi:10.1007/s10896-013-9555-4. S2CID 8299696.
  13. ^ WHO (March 7, 2013). "Child marriages: 39,000 every day". who.int. World Health Organization. Archived from the original on April 14, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2014. Joint news release Every Woman Every Child/Girls Not Brides/PMNCH/United Nations Foundation/UNFPA/UNICEF/UN Women/WHO/World Vision/World YWCA/
  14. ^ Dutton D, Painter S (January 1, 1981). "Traumatic bonding: The development of emotional attachments in battered women and other relationships of intermittent abuse". Victimology. 6: 139–155. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  15. ^ Schechter DS, Zygmunt A, Coates SW, Davies M, Trabka KA, McCaw J, Kolodji A, Robinson JL (2007). "Caregiver traumatization adversely impacts young children's mental representations on the MacArthur Story Stem Battery". Attachment & Human Development. 9 (3): 187–205. doi:10.1080/14616730701453762. PMC 2078523. PMID 18007959.