What is Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)?
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is defined slightly differently depending on who is using the term. For this course, we will use the House of Ruth Maryland standard definition, which focuses on the experience of the victim and address the victim’s need for support and services.
The two most important elements to remember about the definition of intimate partner violence are that it is a pattern of behaviors and there is a power imbalance between the intimate partners — one partner holds some power over the other.
More commonly, you will hear the term “domestic violence” used when talking about intimate partner violence, but it is important to remember that not all partners live together and not all violence in a home is between partners. For example, the term “intimate partner” refers to any intimate relationship between people: long-term or short-term, formal or casual, public or private, serious or not.
Intimate partner violence can happen to anyone regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, ability, or gender, and it can take many forms, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, economic abuse, and psychological abuse. It impacts individuals, families, workplaces, and communities. Since intimate partner violence is framed within the global issue of violence against women, it is shaped and supported by societal, familial, and cultural norms and is complicated by the intersection of other cultural oppressions