Learn More about Domestic Violence

What is Domestic Violence?

Domestic violence, also known as intimate partner violence (IPV) or relationship abuse, is a pattern of behaviors one partner uses to hold power and control over an intimate partner. People often believe that domestic violence can only be physical violence. Contrary to popular belief, domestic violence can be emotional, verbal, sexual, financial, coercive and physical.

Power & Control in Relationships

Domestic violence always involves one partner holding dominance and control over the other. Below is a wheel depicting tactics the perpetrator may use to hold control over the survivor.

A note from The National Domestic Violence Hotline on the Wheel:

The Power and Control Wheel assumes she/her pronouns for the victim and he/him pronouns for the perpetrator, but the abusive behavior that it details can happen to people of any gender or sexuality.

The wheel serves as a diagram of tactics that an abusive partner uses to keep their victims in a relationship. The inside of the wheel is made up of subtle, continual behaviors over time, while the outer ring represents physical and sexual violence. Abusive actions like those depicted in the outer ring often reinforce the regular use of other, more subtle methods found in the inner ring.

The complexities of relationship abuse can never be summarized completely in a single diagram, but the Power and Control Wheel presents a useful lens through which to examine domestic violence.

Statistics

On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.

1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner contact sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking with impacts such as injury, fearfulness, post-traumatic stress disorder, use of victim services, contraction of sexually transmitted diseases, etc.

1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. This includes a range of behaviors (e.g. slapping, shoving, pushing) and in some cases might not be considered "domestic violence."

Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime.

1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence.

Studies suggest that there is a relationship between intimate partner violence and depression and suicidal behavior.

* These statistics are all available on NCADV.org

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