What is domestic violence – Prosecuting Attorney’s Office

Domestic Violence (DV) is a pattern of harmful, hurtful behaviors that one 1 person in a relationship chooses to use on another to gain power and control. People who experience DV can be married, dating, living together, ex-partners, have children in common, or relatives by blood or marriage. People of any gender, age, race, culture, or income may experience DV. However, women are disproportionately impacted by intimate partner domestic violence.

Learn more about the statistics associated to domestic violence with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence report.

Forms of abuse

Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence can manifest in a number of different ways. Often, there is more than 1 form of abusive behavior happening within a relationship. 

Physical

Any hurtful, intimidating, or offensive touching or contact. It can involve grabbing, pushing, kicking, shoving, strangulation or hitting, and could turn into more serious injuries or death.

Emotional or verbal

Insults, blaming, put downs, name-calling, mind games, threats; making you feel humiliated; guilty, bad about yourself, shameful, “crazy.”

Sexual

Insulting comments, unwanted touching forced or coerced sex, distributing intimate images of you online without your permission.

Controlling or intimidating (Coercive Control)

Isolating you from family and friends; controlling your money; keeping you from getting a job or going to school; controlling or monitoring what you do and where you go; destroying your things; threatening to hurt or take your children or pets; threatening immigration status; driving recklessly; or displaying weapons.

Stalking

Stalkers use a variety of tactics, including (but not limited to): unwanted contact including phone calls, texts, and contact via social media, unwanted gifts, showing up/approaching an individual or their family/friends, monitoring, surveillance, property damage, and threats.

Technology enabled coercive control

Using technology to control, threaten, isolate, or intimidate you. Demanding your passwords; requiring you to unfriend people; stealing your online identity; constant texting and demanding immediate response; pretending to be you or harassing you online; changing log-in information to lock you from accessing funds; sharing intimate images of you online without your consent.

It is important to note, that this is not an exhaustive list. These behaviors also often occur within a power and control dynamic within the relationship.

Learn more about forms of abuse and how it may manifest within a relationship