Domestic Abuse

Any incident or pattern of abusive behaviour between two people that are personally connected to each other.

Under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, behaviour is abusive if it consists of any of the following:

• Physical or sexual abuse;
• Violent or threatening behaviour;
• Controlling or coercive behaviour;
• Economic abuse;
• Psychological, emotional or other abuse.

The term ‘personally connected’ means any of the following:

• They are, or have been, married to each other;
• They are, or have been, civil partners of each other
• They have agreed to marry one another;
• They are, or have been in an intimate personal relationship with each other;
• They each have, or there has been a time when they each have had, a parental relationship with the same child;
• They are relatives.

For the first time in UK law, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 recognises children as victims of domestic abuse when a child hears, sees or experiences the effects of the abuse between its parent or another relative.

Related Keywords

Domestic Violence Protection Orders

Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme