"You are far too precious and valuable to allow yourself to be destroyed by another person."
- A domestic violence survivor
It isn't a 'domestic dispute.'
It isn't the alcohol talking.
It isn't a private matter.
Not anymore.
Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior that one intimate partner exerts over another as a means of control.
Domestic violence
... is a choice The abuser is not "out of control."
... is a pattern There may be good times, but the ugliness returns - and it usually gets worse.
... is intended to control Sometimes it's physical, often it isn't. It's whatever works to keep an intimate partner in line.
... is an attitude and a behavior
Sometimes it's emotional abuse - name-calling or intimidation.
Sometimes its threats - to harm you, or anyone or anything you love. Sometimes it's using sex to demean.
Sometimes it's physical - pushing, hitting, punching.
Sometimes it's life-threatening.
An extensive list of informative and helpful books and other resources - PDF
National Coalition against Domestic Violence
National Network to End Domestic Violence
King County Coalition against Domestic Violence
Washington State Coalition against Domestic Violence
MINCAVA Electronic Clearinghouse
University of Michigan’s Child Violence and Trauma Laboratory
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children
Causing Pain:Real Stories of Dating Abuse and Violence
Fact sheets prepared by Futures Without Violence Read More
Toward Safety and Justice: Domestic Violence in Seattle, 2006. City of Seattle Human Services Department Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Division, 2007. Read More
Up to Us: Lessons learned and goals for change after thirteen years of Washington State Domestic Violence Fatality Review. Jake Fawcett for the Washington State Coalition against Domestic Violence, 2010. Read More
Covering Domestic Violence: A Guide for Journalists and Other Media Professionals. Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2006. Read More
Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. Patricia Tjaden and Nancy Thoennes. National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000. Read More
Crime Data Brief, Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Read More