Child Abuse

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Child abuse, elder abuse, and sibling abuse are also considered domestic violence.

Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence (IPV), is defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one partner against another in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation.Domestic violence, so defined, has many forms, including physical aggression or assault (hitting, kicking, biting, shoving, restraining, slapping, throwing objects), or threats thereof; sexual abuse; emotional abuse; controlling or domineering; intimidation; stalking; passive/covert abuse (e.g., neglect); and economic deprivation. Alcohol consumption and mental illness[4] can be co-morbid with abuse,and present additional challenges in eliminating domestic violence. Awareness, perception, definition and documentation of domestic violence differ widely from country to country, and from era to era.

Domestic violence and abuse is not limited to obvious physical violence. Domestic violence can also mean endangerment, criminal coercion, kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, trespassing,harassment, and stalking

Forms
All forms of domestic abuse have one purpose: to gain and maintain control over the victim. Abusers use many tactics to exert power over their spouse or partner: dominance, humiliation, isolation, threats, intimidation, denial and blame.[38]

Physical
Physical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, pain, injury, or other physicalsuffering or bodily harm.
Physical abuse includes hitting, slapping, punching, choking, pushing, burning and other types of contact that result in physical injury to the victim. Physical abuse can also include behaviors such as denying the victim of medical care when needed, depriving the victim of sleep or other functions necessary to live, or forcing the victim to engage in drug/alcohol useagainst his/her will. If a person is suffering from any physical harm then they are experiencing physical abuse. This pain can be experienced on any level.[39] It can also include inflicting physical injury onto other targets, such as children or pets, in order to cause psychological harm to the victim.[40]

Sexual
Sexual abuse is any situation in which force or threat is used to obtainparticipation in unwanted sexual activity. Coercing a person to engage in sexual activity against their will, even if that person is a spouse or intimate partner with whom consensual sex has occurred, is an act of aggression and violence.
Sexual violence is defined by World Health Organization as:
* any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, unwanted sexual comments or advances, or acts to traffic,or otherwise directed, against a person’s sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting, including but not limited to home and work.[41]
Marital rape, also known as spousal rape, is non-consensual sex in which the perpetrator is the victim's spouse. As such, it is a form of partner rape, of domestic violence, and of sexual abuse. In the USspousal rape is illegal in all 50 states.[42][43] In Canada, spousal rape was outlawed in 1983, when several legal changes were made, including changing the rape statute to sexual assault, and making the laws gender neutral.[44] Criminalization in Australia began with the state of New South Wales in 1981, followed by all other states from 1985 to 1992.[45] New Zealand outlawed spousal rape in1985, and Ireland in 1990.[45] In England and Wales, spousal rape was made illegal in 1991, when the marital rape exemption was abolished by the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords, in the case of R v R.[46]

Categories of sexual abuse include:
1. Use of physical force to compel a person to engage in a sexual act against his or her will, whether or not the act is completed;
2....