ABSTRACT
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health problem with deleterious consequences for women and children who are exposed to it. Many terms have been used to identify interpersonal violence in the lives of women, including domestic abuse, woman abuse and domestic violence. IPV is physical, sexual or psychological maltreatment by one intimate partner to another with the intent to cause harm. The definition includes mild physical violence (pushing, shoving, slapping), severe violence (beating up, raping, using or threatening to use a gun or knife, killing a partner) and stalking. Most IPV around the world is perpetrated by men against women, and the majority of victims of IPV are mothers with children living in their home.
