Domestic violence, also known as Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), is a pattern of behaviors between two partners in a current or past intimate partner relationship. These patterns of behavior are considered violence as one person uses to gain or maintain power and control over their partner to cause harm. Abuse can occur in relationships regardless of whether partners are dating, living together, married, separated, share children, or divorced. Domestic violence can occur in heterosexual and LGBTQ+ relationships and affects people of every race, ethnicity, religion, age, ability, socioeconomic background, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
Domestic violence is not simply an argument or a one-time incident. It is a cyclical pattern of intentional behavior designed to intimidate, isolate, manipulate, or control another person. While physical violence is often what comes to mind when thinking of abuse, however, abuse can take many forms and often begins long before physical violence occurs.
Domestic violence can take many forms. Survivors may experience one type of abuse or several at the same time, and abuse often escalates over time. It is not always physical.
Physical Abuse: Physical abuse includes any intentional act meant to cause pain, injury, or fear, such as hitting, slapping, punching, kicking, choking, restraining, using weapons, or preventing someone from getting medical care.
Emotional and Psychological Abuse: Emotional abuse is used to gain control by damaging a person’s confidence or sense of safety. It can include intimidation, threats, manipulation, gaslighting, isolation, constant criticism, excessive jealousy, or monitoring a partner’s activities.
Sexual Abuse: Sexual abuse is any sexual activity without freely given consent. It can include sexual assault, unwanted touching, coercion, reproductive coercion, sexual humiliation, sharing intimate images without consent, online exploitation, or using sex as a means of control or punishment.
Financial Abuse: Financial abuse limits a person’s independence by controlling access to money or resources. This may include preventing someone from working, controlling income, creating debt, withholding money, or using finances to manipulate or control a partner.
Digital Abuse and Stalking: Technology and stalking behaviors are often used to maintain control. This can include tracking someone’s location, monitoring messages or social media, demanding passwords, repeatedly contacting or following someone, or threatening to share private information or intimate images.
Abuse Involving Children: Children are often affected by domestic violence, even when they are not the direct target. An abusive partner may use children to manipulate, threaten, control, or maintain power over the other parent.
At the heart of domestic violence is power and control. People who use abusive behaviors often seek to dominate their partner by creating fear, dependency, or isolation. They may alternate between abusive incidents and periods of affection, apologies, or promises to change. This cycle can make it incredibly difficult for survivors to leave or even recognize that what they are experiencing is abuse.
Abuse is a choice made by the person causing harm. It is never caused by stress, alcohol, mental illness, relationship conflict, or anything the survivor did or did not do. Survivors are never responsible for another person’s abusive behavior.
Domestic violence is one of the most common forms of violence in the United States.
These numbers only reflect reported data. Many survivors never disclose their experiences due to fear, shame, financial dependence, concern for their children, immigration status, or fear that they will not be believed.
Domestic violence affects every aspect of a survivor’s life. It can lead to physical injuries, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), financial instability, housing insecurity, and long-term health concerns. It can also affect employment, education, relationships, and overall well-being. Children who witness domestic violence may experience emotional, behavioral, and developmental challenges, even if they are not directly harmed themselves.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, you are not alone, and you are not to blame.
Talking about abuse can feel overwhelming. Many survivors experience fear, confusion, embarrassment, guilt, or uncertainty about what they have been through. These feelings are common, and everyone responds to abuse differently. Whether the abuse began recently or has been happening for years, you deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and safety.
The Rose Andom Center provides compassionate, survivor-centered services for individuals affected by domestic violence. We understand that every survivor’s experience is unique, and there is no “right” time or way to seek help.
Whether you are looking for information, planning for your safety, navigating the legal system, accessing counseling, or simply need someone to listen, our team is here to support you. We will meet you where you are, help you explore your options, and connect you with resources that support your goals, your healing, and your future.
You do not have to face this alone. When you are ready, we are here to help.
For ten years, the Rose Andom Center has been a place where survivors are met with compassion, dignity, and support. This year’s Reflections of Hope Gala honors that decade of impact and the community that has made it possible.
Join us on Saturday, October 17th at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts for a meaningful evening celebrating the strength and resilience of survivors and the progress we have made together over the past ten years.
The Rose Andom Center will be closed on Monday, August 3.
If you need additional support during this time, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233) or SafeHouse Denver’s crisis line at 303-318-9989. If you are in immediate danger, please contact 911.
Aviso de Cierre del Rose Andom Center
Si necesita apoyo adicional durante este tiempo, por favor comuníquese con la Línea Nacional de Violencia Doméstica al 800-799-SAFE (7233) o con la línea de crisis de SafeHouse Denver al 303-318-9989. Si se encuentra en peligro inmediato, por favor llame al 911.
