Domestic violence, what public health researchers call intimate partner violence, is a pattern of fear, coercion, isolation, threats, or control that one person uses to dominate another. It shows up in marriages, dating relationships, co-parenting relationships, and LGBTQ+ relationships, at every income level, every educational background, and every faith tradition.
Financial abuse shows up in 99% of documented domestic violence cases. Controlled bank accounts, sabotaged jobs, coerced debt, and a stolen paycheck can trap a person as effectively as a locked door.
The question is never whether every incident left a mark. The question is whether someone is using fear or control to dominate another person. Millions of women and men live that reality every year, and millions of children grow up inside it without ever being touched themselves.
Believing someone, naming abuse accurately, and pointing to a pathway to help does more good than any statistic on its own.