domestic violence
What to know
Domestic violence refers to abuse that takes place among people in a household or family unit. Physical, emotional, psychological, and financial abuse are all types of domestic violence. Domestic violence can overlap with other types of harm, such as child neglect or elder abuse.
Journalists can refer to organizations such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline for current statistics on domestic violence in the US, which reports that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Many people face disparities by location, race, gender, immigration status, and disability in accessing help and justice when experiencing domestic violence.
Domestic violence is often abbreviated as “DV” on social media and elsewhere. It can also be called domestic abuse or family violence. People escaping domestic violence can seek help at a safe housing program, also called a domestic violence shelter, safe home, or emergency shelter. If a program only serves women, it can be called a women’s shelter, but otherwise, gender-neutral phrasing is more accurate in reflecting that domestic abuse affects people of all genders. The term “battered women’s shelters” can be upsetting for women who have undergone physical abuse, and it may deter those who have undergone other kinds of abuse (sexual, financial, etc.) from seeking help. If relevant to your content, it may be helpful to include helpline numbers or links to resources (such as thehotline.org).
For those reporting on domestic violence, advocates and journalism organizations recommend taking steps to avoid several common pitfalls, including: victim-blaming narratives, stereotypes of survivors as weak, and sensationalized or sanitized language (i.e. “domestic dispute”). Employing trauma-informed interviewing and reporting can help ground both your process and products in key journalistic ethics.
Additional resources
- The Language We Use (Women Against Abuse)
- What to Expect If You Go to a Shelter (Day One)
Summary
Domestic violence refers to abuse that takes place among people in a household or family unit. Physical, emotional, psychological, and financial abuse are all types of domestic violence. Domestic violence can overlap with other types of harm, such as child neglect or elder abuse. A term like “battered women’s shelters” can be upsetting for women who have undergone physical abuse, and it may deter those who have undergone other kinds of abuse (sexual, financial, etc.) from seeking help. If relevant to your content, it may be helpful to include helpline numbers or links to resources (such as thehotline.org).