Office joined together to conduct a county-wide study on the occurrence, nature and effects of violence against women by intimate partners in Multnomah County. Interviews with women were completed in early 1999. This report summarizes the findings of the study, and also makes recommendations based on the findings. Some additional information in this report is based on a similar statewide study done in 1998. The findings of the Multnomah County and statewide studies are consistent.
Domestic violence is . . . .
Intimate relationships include marriages, couples living together, and dating relation-ships. The pattern of coercive behavior in domestic violence is intentional, and can include physical, sexual, psychological, and economic abuse. These types of abuse are used to produce fear, which allows the perpetrator to control the victim. While both women and men can be victims of domestic violence, in the overwhelming majority of cases, men commit the violence against women. Therefore, in this study we measured violence against women that was committed by an intimate partner.