In
1971 Erin Pizzey (who started the first domestic violence shelter in
the modern world) wrote e 'Scream Quietly Or The Neighbours Will
Hear', a book documenting the experiences of battered
women.
Domestic violence is nowadays defined as any incident
or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening
behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are,
or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of
gender or sexuality. The abuse can encompass, but is not limited to:
psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional.
Research
shows that domestic violence can be reciprocal, and that women are as
equally capable of violence as men, but that it is a deeply cultural
gender issue which disproportionately affects women and children.
