Domestic violence is most commonly understood to be violence and abuse perpetrated by a man upon his intimate partner. This understanding and definition is supported by the extensive body of research conducted over the last 50 years, primarily in North America and the United Kingdom.

Domestic violence may sometimes be referred to as intimate partner violence. In the overwhelming majority of incidents domestic violence is perpetrated by a man against a woman. Domestic violence also occurs in LGBTQIA+ relationships.

The term, ‘family violence,’ has also been used to refer to domestic violence, for example, in Australian family law and immigration law, although the strict definition of family violence incorporates violence and abuse occurring within a broad range of intrafamilial and kinship relationships, thus blurring the intrinsic nature and dynamics of the relationship of trust and intimacy and therefore its complexity.

Domestic violence occurs across all cultural and socio-economic groups.