Domestic Violence and its consequences for Women and Children - Essay Example

Domestic violence does not occur within a certain ethnicity, race, religion or economic status, it prevails everywhere. In most cases the abuser is male as stated by the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC), and usually the female or a child is the victim. A new definition of domestic violence for use by the police for statistical purposes states that "it is any violence between a current or former partner in an intimate relationship, wherever and whenever it occurs. Domestic violence is not an isolated, individual event but rather a pattern of repeated behaviors that the abuser uses to gain power and control over the victim.

Unlike stranger-to-stranger violence, in domestic violence situations the same perpetrator repeatedly assaults the same victim. The text defines the term domestic violence as: any spousal or interfamilial conflicts of sufficient nature to justify law enforcement intervention; spousal abuse is most frequently cited. May involve parent-child conflict, either physical or psychological. Domestic violence is found in all types of intimate relationships whether the individuals are of the same or opposite sex, are married or dating, or are in a current or past intimate relationship.

There are two essential elements in every domestic violence situation: the victim and abuser have been intimately involved at some point in time, and the abuser consciously chooses to use violence and other abusive tactics to gain control over the victim. A new definition of domestic violence for use.