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About the use of pronouns in this publication |
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The greatest single common denominator about victims of domestic violence is the fact that the overwhelming majority are women.
According to the most comprehensive national study by the U.S. Department of Justice on family violence, the majority of domestic violence victims are women. Females are 84 percent of spouse abuse victims and 86 percent of victims at the hands of a boyfriend or girlfriend. The study also found that men are responsible for the vast majority of these attacks—about 75 percent.1
And, women experience more chronic and injurious physical assaults by intimate partners than do men.2
That’s why feminine pronouns are used in this publication when referring to adult victims and masculine pronouns are used when referring to perpetrators of domestic violence. This should not detract from the understanding that, in some instances, the perpetrator might be female while the victim is male or of the same gender.
1 Durose, M., et al. (2005). Family violence statistics: Including statistics on strangers and acquaintances. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
2 Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. (2000). Full report of the prevalence, incidence, and consequences of violence against women. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
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Understanding the dynamics of domestic violence
People often think of domestic violence only in terms of the black eyes and bruises that can be seen. In reality, domestic violence is a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors that abusive men use to control their intimate partners. As adaptive and resilient as they are, women who have been battered nevertheless face a daunting number of barriers to escaping the violence. In addition to the very real threat of harm or death to themselves or their children, victims must contend with the accompanying financial and emotional hardship. They also often weigh cultural and religious values that emphasize keeping families intact and respond to the violence in spite of justice and social service systems that don’t always provide adequate safety and support.
People who have never experienced abuse often find it difficult to imagine why women don’t leave and how the abuse can continue for years. Relationships almost never start out abusive. It is important to remember that love and intimacy precede the abuse, which can make it difficult to break away. Abusive relationships are not violent all the time. There are periods when a woman is reminded why she fell in love with her partner. Abusers effectively weave together intimacy and abuse to control their partners.
Women who have been battered sometimes express confusion about the recurring nature of the violence they experience in their relationship. It seems to them to be unpredictable and impulsive. Domestic violence, however, is neither random nor haphazard. It is a complex pattern of increasingly frequent and harmful physical, sexual, psychological and other abusive behaviors used to control the victim. The abuser’s tactics are devised and carried out precisely to control her.
The Full Version of the Publication
A Framework for Understanding the Nature and Dynamics of Domestic Violence: English
The Full Version of the Publication
A Framework for Understanding the Nature and Dynamics of Domestic Violence: Spanish
Un Marco Para Entender La Naturaleza y Dinamicas Violencia Domestica
Personalized Safety Plan: English
Personalized Safety Plan: Spanish
Personalized Safety Plan: Bosnian
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