Domestic violence is not uncommon. One in four women and one in nine men in the United States have reported experiencing sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking in their lifetime.
The actual rate of domestic violence and sexual assault is unknown because many experiencing it are afraid to disclose or report it.
Abuse does not need to have multiple occurrences or be carried out over years to be considered domestic violence. Even one episode can have serious impacts and should not be overlooked.
Domestic violence includes any of the following:
- Physical violence: hitting, kicking, slapping, or other types of physical force that are intended to hurt the partner.
- Sexual violence: forced, or attempted forcing, of a partner to engage in sexual acts when the partner does not consent or isn’t capable of consenting. This includes both sexual events and non-physical events, like sexting.
- Psychological aggression: verbal and non-verbal communicating to erode a person’s self-worth, harm the partner mentally or emotionally, or exert control or power over the partner.
- Stalking: repeated, unwanted attention and/or contact that triggers fear or worry about partner safety, or the safety of others that are close to the victim. Stalking means the communication isn’t consensual and may include verbal, written, or implied threats.
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