What is domestic abuse?

What is domestic abuse? 

We define domestic abuse as an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner, but also by a family member or carer. It is very common. In the vast majority of cases it is experienced by women and is perpetrated by men.

Domestic abuse can include, but is not limited to, the following:

Explore some of the common questions about domestic abuse below.

Commonly asked questions 

Woman looking out of window

Why don’t women leave?

There are many myths around domestic abuse and its causes. Help us challenge some of the most widely-believed and deep-rooted misconceptions.

Myths about domestic abuse

We know from our work, and the work of the Women’s Aid federation of services, that domestic abuse is very common, however this is often difficult to accurately quantify.

The impact of domestic abuse

When thinking about the consequences of domestic abuse, it is important to consider the impact (mental, emotional, physical, social and financial) on the individual survivor and her family and children.

How does it affect children and young people?

There are many myths around domestic abuse and its causes. Help us challenge some of the most widely-believed and deep-rooted misconceptions.

What services are there and how are they funded? 

We know from our work, and the work of the Women’s Aid federation of services, that domestic abuse is very common, however this is often difficult to accurately quantify.

Women walking

How common is domestic abuse?

When thinking about the consequences of domestic abuse, it is important to consider the impact (mental, emotional, physical, social and financial) on the individual survivor and her family and children.

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