The
Report of the Task Force on Violence Against Women defines
Domestic Violence as follows:
‘Domestic Violence refers to the use
of physical or emotional force or threat of physical force,
including sexual violence in close adult relationships’.
This includes violence perpetrated by a spouse, partner, son
or daughter or any other person who has a close or blood relationship
with the victim. The term ‘domestic violence’
goes beyond actual physical violence. It can also involve
emotional abuse; the destruction of property; isolation from
friends, family and other potential sources of support; threats
to others including children; stalking; and control over access
to money, personal items, food, transportation and the telephone’
‘Domestic Violence occurs in all social
classes and is equally prevalent in both rural and urban Ireland.
In the vast majority of cases where violence occurs among
persons who are known to one another, research has shown that
women are injured and men perpetrate the assault’.
The report
also states that:
‘In the majority of incidences of violence against women,
including that of sexual assault, the attacker is not a stranger
but is known to the victim and is likely to have, or have
had, an intimate relationship with the woman. Whether it be
sexual assault, rape, physical assault or emotional abuse,
women are at greater risk from husbands, boyfriends, male
relatives and acquaintances than from strangers. Violent attacks
of this nature are rarely once-off occurrences, but are likely
to be persistent and frequent with the objective of instilling
fear in victims’.
Source:
Report of the Task Force on Violence Against Women, 1997
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