Domestic violence

The term "domestic violence," which is synonymous with "domestic abuse" or "family violence," refers to any kind of physical or emotional abuse that takes place within the context of a domestic relationship or living situation, such as a marriage or shared living arrangement. The term "domestic violence" is frequently used as a synonym for "intimate partner violence," which refers to violence perpetrated by one person in an intimate relationship against the other person in the relationship. This type of violence can occur within relationships or between exes who were formerly married or in a relationship. In its fullest definition, the term "domestic violence" encompasses acts of aggression against children, parents, or the elderly as well. Abuse may take many forms, including physical, verbal, emotional, economic, reproductive, religious, or sexual abuse, among others. It may vary from subtle, coercive forms to marital rape and other types of severe physical abuse, such as choking, beating, female genital mutilation, and throwing acid that may result in deformity or death. It also involves the use of technology to harass, control, monitor, stalk, or hack. Domestic homicide encompasses a wide variety of practises, such as stoning, bride burning, honour killing, and dowry death, some of which may include family members who do not live together.

In 2015, the Home Office of the United Kingdom expanded the definition of domestic abuse to include coercive control as one of its components.

Domestic violence affects a disproportionate number of women across the world, and the severity of the abuse they suffer is often more severe than that of males. According to statistics provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), one in three women may experience violence in the home at some time in their lives. Additionally, they are more likely than males to resort to violence against an intimate partner in the name of self-defense. Domestic violence may be considered as appropriate or legally permissible in certain nations, particularly in circumstances of real or suspected adultery on the part of the woman. This is especially true in cases when the woman is accused of cheating on her partner. According to the findings of research, there is a clear and substantial association between the amount of gender equality in a nation and the rates of domestic violence; countries with lower levels of gender equality suffer greater rates of domestic violence. Both men and women throughout the globe are complicit in the crime of underreporting instances of domestic abuse. In addition, because of the societal stigmas that are attached to male victimhood, males who are victims of domestic abuse have a greater risk of their injuries being disregarded by medical professionals.

A common factor in the occurrence of domestic violence is the abuser's mistaken belief that they are entitled to it, or that it is acceptable, justifiable, or unlikely to be reported. It has the potential to perpetuate a cycle of violence through generations by instilling in children and other members of the family the belief that such behaviour is normal or even permitted. There are a lot of individuals who don't see themselves as abusers or victims because they may think that their experiences were just family issues that went out of hand. There is a significant gap across nations with regard to the awareness, perception, definition, and recording of domestic violence. In addition, domestic violence often takes place within the framework of coerced or early childhood marriages.

Isolation, power and control, traumatic bonding to the abuser, cultural acceptability, lack of financial means, fear, and humiliation are some of the reasons why victims of domestic violence may feel they have no choice but to stay in abusive relationships. Victims of abuse may have physical limitations, dysregulated aggressiveness, chronic health issues, mental illness, limited financial resources, and a poor capacity to form good relationships as a direct consequence of the abuse they have suffered. It's possible for victims to develop serious mental illnesses, such post-traumatic stress disorder (also known as PTSD). Children who are exposed to domestic violence at home frequently exhibit behavioural and psychological issues at a young age. These issues can include avoidance, hypervigilance to potential dangers, and dysregulated aggression, all of which have the potential to contribute to the child's vicarious traumatic experience.