Neue Wege offers counselling and therapy for women, men and diverse individuals.
The team will advise you personally by appointment; simply give us a call.
What is domestic violence?
Domestic violence occurs when individuals within an existing or dissolved partnership perpetrate or threaten physical, psychological, or sexual violence. It does not arise from a single trigger, but rather from the interplay of several individual and societal factors (patriarchal power structures, role distribution, biographical experiences, emotion regulation, financial or emotional dependency, etc.).
What constitutes violence and what doesn't is not always entirely clear. How and why violent acts occur can vary greatly. Generally, however, a distinction is made between two patterns of violence: situationally escalating intimate partner violence and "intimate terrorism." In situationally escalating intimate partner violence, conflicts escalate in specific situations to such an extent that both partners become boundary-violating, abusive, or violent. If the violence clearly originates from only one side and, for example, there was no argument prior to the violence, then it is referred to as "intimate terrorism."
Violence in relationships is widespread and occurs across all age groups, cultures, and social classes, regardless of gender, education level, income, social status, or origin. Violent behavior in partnerships causes immense individual suffering for those affected and results in psychological damage that can lead to the development of mental disorders in the short or long term. This is especially true for children who directly or indirectly witness violence perpetrated by their caregivers. Violence in intimate partner relationships violates the fundamental right to physical integrity, which protects the physical and mental health of every individual.
Finding a way out of the often recurring cycle of violence, remorse, reconciliation, hope and renewed violence is difficult – but possible.
Forms of violence:
- insult, threaten, intimidate, humiliate or devalue
- to stalk, harass, or ambush
- Hitting, kicking, choking, or throwing objects
- to force sexual acts
- lock up
- Control or prohibit contact with family and friends
- financial control (e.g., withholding household money or taking away wages)
