What is domestic violence?

What is domestic violence?

There are a number of different definitions of domestic violence. In Women's Aids view,,= domestic violence is physical, psychological, sexual or financial violence that takes place within an intimate or family-type relationship.

Domestic violence  includes a range of abusive behaviors, not all of which are, inherently 'violent' -this is why some people prefer to use the term 'domestic abuse' rather than 'domestic violence'. 

Statistics and research show that domestic violence is gender specific. It is most commonly experienced by women and perpetrated by men, particularly when there is a pattern of repeated and serious physical assaults, or when it includes rape or sexual assault or results in injury or death.

Any woman can experience domestic violence regardless of race, ethnic or religious group, class, disability or lifestyle. Domestic violence can also take place in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender relationships. Abusers choose to behave violently to get what they want and gain control. 

One incident of domestic violence is reported to the police every minute.

On average, 2 women a week are killed by a current or former male partner.

The stereotypical victim of domestic violence tends to be females and the males inflict the pain and violence. However, this is not always the case. Our target audience is females because many can relate to the storyline and create a personal connection with the female victim. Below, is a link to a video of the opening scene of the film "Safe Haven." This film is based on domestic violence where the man is an alcoholic and takes his anger out on his wife.

We hope that our audience will gain a lot of knowledge and understanding of domestic violence. Also they will be able to connect with the female audience in order to understand how she is feeling which many other women in the world experience. At the end of the film audience members will come away with a clearer understanding of what happens within a violent relationship. I hope that our opening sequence is powerful and effective to grab the viewers attention.