Domestic violence is a pattern of assaults and controlling behaviors, including physical, sexual and psychological attacks as well as economic control, that adults and adolescents use against their intimate partners.
Domestic violence is lethal and common.
It affects people of all cultures, religions, ages, sexual orientations, educational backgrounds and income levels. The overwhelming majority of adult domestic violence victims are women, and the perpetrators are men. According to a recent survey, one in four American women say they have been abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. An FBI crime report notes that forty-two percent of murdered women are killed by their intimate male partners. Content provided by the Family Violence Prevention Fund .