Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive or controlling behavior that can include physical violence, emotional or psychological abuse, or financial abuse.
Domestic violence encompasses a number of behaviors that someone will use to maintain power and control over their partner. One in four women and one in seven men will be victims of domestic violence at some point in their lives. Domestic violence impacts women, men, and children of every cultural background, socioeconomic status, gender, age, and religion. Abuse is never the victim's fault and there are many reasons why it is difficult or dangerous to leave or end an abusive relationship.
Sexual violence is any type of unwanted or non-consensual sexual contact or behavior.
There are many forms of sexual violence; some of these include unwanted sexual comments or advances, stalking, date rape, coercive sexual behavior, drug or alcohol facilitated sexual assault, hate crimes based on gender or orientation, intimate partner sexual violence, survival sex and sex trafficking. One in three women and one in six men have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime.
Dating abuse is a pattern of abusive behaviors used to exert power and control over a dating partner.
Teen dating violence is a growing problemn in the US; nearly one third of teen relationships are characterized as unhealthy of violent. Abuse can involve many behaviors and tactics such as emotional abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, stalking, isolation, embarassment, in additional to physical violence.
Children are always affected by violence in the home, whether they witness it or experience it themselves.
Children do not have to see abuse to know it is happening. When abuse happens, your children may feel scared and ashamed, or they may even think that they caused the problem. Worse, they can grow up thinking that it is okay to hurt others or for other people hurt them. The impacts of experiencing or witnessing abuse in childhood can have educational, developmental, and emotional impacts that last throughout a lifetime.