Understanding Domestic Violence: Its Forms and Impact

1 - What is domestic violence? Are there different types of violence? Domestic violence is any abusive, violent, coercive, forceful, or threatening act inflicted by one member of a family or household on another. The court Vaughn summarize domestic abuse as, abuse by a family member inflicted on those who are weaker and less able to defend themselves -- almost invariably a child or a woman -- is a violation of the most basic human right, the most basic condition of civilized society: the right to live in physical security, free from the fear that brute force will determine the conditions of one 's daily life. This violence can be in the form of physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual abuse. Custody of Vaughn, 422 Mass. 590 (1996). Webster’s Dictionary gives a more extensive definition of domestic violence; it defines domestic violence as, a pattern of behavior, which involves violence or other abuse by one person against another in a domestic setting, such as in marriage or cohabitation. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is violence by a spouse or partner in an intimate relationship against the other spouse or partner. Domestic violence can take place in heterosexual and same-sex family relationships, and can involve violence against

Some children become passive and withdrawn while other become angry and aggressive. These children live in constant fear that the batterer may become physically abusive towards them. Additionally, children who are exposed to such abuse can also exhibit physical symptoms such as stomachaches, headaches, bedwetting, loss of the ability to concentrate, anxiety, and loss of appetite. These children are also at a higher risk of experiencing alcohol and drug abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, and juvenile delinquency