Domestic Violence/IPV
According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors that adults use to maintain power and control over their intimate partners, or former partners. People who abuse their partners use a variety of tactics to coerce, intimidate, threaten and frighten their victims. Coercive control is a term often used to describe how an abuser purposely diminishes their partner’s freedoms as a way to strengthen their authority by withholding resources and taking away the survivor’s rights and liberties.
The abuse often includes:
- physical violence
- sexual violence
- emotional abuse
- economic abuse
- isolation
- pet abuse
- threats relating to children
- a variety of other behaviors meant to increase fear
- intimidation and power over the victim
*Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is abuse or aggression that occurs in a romantic relationship. “Intimate partner” refers to both current and former spouses and dating partners.
