Domestic violence is abuse between married or unmarried partners.
It is a pattern of coercive behavior by one partner that controls or dominates the other. The abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual, or economic. Physical abuse is pushing, kicking, slapping, choking, punching, cutting, tripping, burning, pulling hair, squeezing, pinching, threatening with a weapon, throwing down stairs, pushing out of a car, throwing objects at a partner, and refusing to help a partner when sick, injured, or pregnant. Sexual abuse is sexual name calling, forcing a partner to dress in an uncomfortable sexual way, forcing pregnancy, forcing unwanted sex, and rape. Economic abuse is taking or withholding a partner's money, controlling assets, making a partner ask for money, keeping a partner from work or school, and withholding information and access to family finances.