Domestic violence or abuse occurs when a family or household member abuses a family or household member.

[no-lexicon]Who is covered under domestic abuse?[/no-lexicon]

• Spouses or former spouses
• Parents, children, and stepchildren
• People who share or formerly shared the same home
• People who dated or were engaged, including same-sex couples
• People who allegedly have a child in common
• People with disabilities and their assistants
• Foster parents
• Adoptive parents or prospective adoptive parents
• Court-appointed guardians or custodians

What does domestic abuse include?

• Physical abuse (pushing, hitting, forced sex, or not allowing someone to leave);
• Emotional abuse (making humiliating remarks, yelling, or not responding to your words);
• Gender violence (abuse based on your actual or perceived gender);
• Harassment (disturbing someone at their job, repeatedly telephoning, following or watching someone, preventing someone from seeing their child, or threatening to hurt someone);
• Making a child or other person watch abuse;
• Forcing someone to do something they don't want to do;
• Neglecting necessary care for a child or a stepchild;
• Denying disabled person access to needed care; and
• Invading privacy (tracking phone GPS, reading personal emails, controlling bank account access, or otherwise controlling communication).

Learn more about being a victim of domestic violence from this timeline.