What is Domestic Violence?
Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive or coercive behaviors that may include, but are not limited to:
These behaviors are used by one individual to exert power or control over another individual in the context of a family or intimate relationship. This includes relationships such as boyfriend/girlfriend who do not live together, parent/child (child or elder abuse/neglect) and persons in same-sex relationships. Overwhelmingly, domestic violence is perpetrated by men against women. Nationally, statistics indicate 95% of the victims are women.
- physical assaults
- verbal abuse
- emotional abuse
- sexual abuse
- harassment
- threat or harm
In Alexandria alone, hundreds of women and their children live in constant terror and pain as a result of family violence. The abuse can be physical, ranging from slaps and kicks to punching and stabbing; or psychological, including threats or verbal abuse that make a person fear for her or his safety.
