Broadly speaking, domestic violence refers to any person who is in either an intimate or familial relationship where violence, or any other types of behaviours used to control and dominate the person is occurring. Although physical violence is commonly associated with domestic violence, other types of behaviours may also be deemed to be examples of domestic violence and can include:
· sexual abuse;
· emotional or psychological abuse;
· verbal abuse;
· financial abuse;
· stalking;
· isolating the person socially or geographically;
· cruelty to pets.
All Australian jurisdictions have specific laws aimed at curbing domestic violence, and such laws support the principles found in the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.