Domestic violence can be mistaken for violence against a partner only, however, domestic violence can happen to someone who lives in the same home as the abuser, without having an intimate or romantic relationship with them.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, domestic violence is “a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner.”
Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic (like keeping money from the other person), psychological or technological. These actions are used to manipulate, intimidate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, blame, threaten, coerce or hurt someone.
