Domestic abuse is an incident or pattern of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading or violent behaviour, including sexual violence. In most cases, this is perpetrated by a partner or ex-partner, but it can also be inflicted by a family member or carer.
Domestic abuse can happen to anyone. It can occur within the home, in public or elsewhere, and often continues after the relationship between the survivor and perpetrator is over.
If behaviour results in feelings of fear, alarm or distress, it is abuse. You have a right to feel safe and to live fear free.
Domestic abuse can include, but is not limited to, the following:
- Coercive control (a pattern of intimidation, degradation, isolation and control with the use or threat of physical or sexual violence)
- Psychological and/or emotional abuse
- Physical or sexual abuse
- Financial or economic abuse
- Harassment and stalking
- Online or digital abuse
It’s important to understand that abuse is always underpinned by a pattern of power and control. Coercive control is a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim, creating a context of fear and control that makes it very hard for people to end the relationship. Coercive and controlling behaviour has been a criminal offence since 2015.
It is never the fault of the person who is experiencing it. And it can happen to anyone — regardless of age, background, gender identity, sex, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity. Statistics show most domestic abuse is carried out by men and experienced by women.
Office for National Statistics (ONS). (2018) Domestic abuse: findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales: year ending March 2017. Published online: ONS
Why is gender important?
Although domestic abuse can happen to anyone, data shows that it disproportionately affects women. As such, it is considered a gendered crime, rooted in structural inequality between men and women, and is part of the wider landscape of violence against women and girls (known as VAWDASV).
Women who experience other forms of oppression, such as racism, ableism, homophobia and discrimination due to their immigration status, may face further barriers to disclosing abuse and accessing support.