Domestic Violence is a term commonly used to describe the abuse which occurs between intimate partners or ex-partners. the vast majority of these incidents are experienced by women and perpetrated by men. Whilst it is important to recognise tht violence also occurs in same sex relationships and in some instances in a female to male direction, we should acknowledge that the physical impact of a woman's assault upon a man is less likely to have serious physical consequences (e.g. resulting in the need for hospital treatment) or the same degree of fear following threat, as a man's assault upon a woman.

The term is used to describe behaviour which causes physical, emotional and or psychological harm. It can include a wide range of behaviours such as verbal remarks, financial control, intimidation, isolation, threats, sexual assault and physical assault, all of which can be damaging. Some women state that psychological abuse is more pernicious, harder to identify and more difficult to recover from than physical assault.

What makes Domestic Violence different from other crimes

The victim and perpetrator are known to one another through an intimate relationship. By being intimately associated the perpetrator will have a greater knowledge of ways and means to attack and threaten the victim. The perpetrator has on-going access to the victim and may continue to do so once the relationship has ended. Unlike stranger violence, domestic violence occurs largely in private, in what should be the safety of the home. This makes prosecution cases harder as it is less likely that there are any independent witnesses. Also, the perpetrator is not viewed in the same way as someone who is deemed to be a risk to the public.

A criminal act of assault in a domestic violence situation takes place in an overall pattern of abusive and controlling behaviour that may not in itself be criminal. Physical assualts rarely happen as one off acts and tend to increase in frequency and severity over time. The victim may have feelings towards the perpetrator and want the violence to end but not the relationship.