Domestic violence is an abuse of power usually perpetrated by men to exercise control over women and children (BWRI 2003). It usually occurs between a man and woman who share or shared an intimate relationship. Domestic violence is never an isolated incident (Walker 2002). It is a systematic pattern of abusive behavior that build up and escalates in frequency and severity over time (Walker 2002). Battering occurs among people of all ethnicities, ages, socio-economic classes, religious affiliations, occupations, and educational backgrounds (Walker 1980). .
There are different forms of domestic violence: physical abuse, sexual abuse, economic abuse, and emotional abuse. Physical abuse includes hitting, punching, kicking, throwing, shoving, burning, choking, and anything else causing bodily harm or death (BWRI 2003). Sexual abuse includes, but is not limited to, rape, sexual assault, sexual possessiveness, enforced prostitution, and other sexual acts against the victims will (BWRI 2003). Economic abuse is when the victim is being kept short of money, not allowed to have money, have to beg for money, deprived of food, and economically dependent on the batterer (BWRI 2003). Emotional abuse is being continually humiliated and degraded, being intimidated, systematic criticisms and belittling comments, isolated from friends and family, and many other tactics to mentally control the victim (BWRI 2003). .
Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of fifteen and forty-four in the United States (U.S. Senate 1992). Approximately ninety-five percent of domestic violence victims are women (Clark County Prosecutor 2003). One woman is beaten by her husband or partner every fifteen seconds in the United States (FBI 1991). However, battering is the most under reported crime in America (Clark County Prosecutor 2003). Many batterers learned violent behavior growing up in an abusive family (Walker 1980).