Domestic Violence

What is domestic violence?

Domestic violence, also called intimate partner violence (IPV) or domestic abuse, is a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship.

Domestic violence does not discriminate. Anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender can be a victim – or perpetrator – of domestic violence. It can happen to people who are married, living together or who are dating. It affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels.

Domestic violence includes behaviors that physically harm, arouse fear, prevent a partner from doing what they wish or force them to behave in ways they do not want. It includes the use of physical and sexual violence, threats and intimidation, emotional abuse and economic deprivation. Many of these different forms of domestic violence/abuse can be occurring at any one time within the same intimate relationship. 

SPECIAL NOTE: Data driven analysis is increasingly demonstrating that people who were killed by their abusers had at one point or another, been strangled by their abuser in the past. Prior strangulation is what is called a "lethality marker". 

"...Gael Strack, chief executive of the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention in San Diego, says the mere presence of strangulation in a situation of domestic abuse increases the chances of homicide sevenfold. It is a clear trajectory from escalating violence to homicide, of which strangulation is the penultimate act. "Statistically, we know that once the hands are on the neck, the very next step is homicide," Strack said. "They don't go backwards..."

TL;DR...If your abuser has strangled you in the past, you're at-risk for potential domestic violence homicide. Please call Project Sanctuary. We can help.