INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE (IPV) is a serious public health crisis affecting millions of women worldwide. Also, known as domestic abuse, it refers to physical, sexual and emotional abuse, in addition to controlling behaviours by an intimate current or ex-partner.
Approximately 1 in 3 women will experience domestic abuse at some point in their lives, and this has a considerable impact on their psychological, emotional and physical well-being. Potential impacts include depression, anxiety, cardiovascular issues, low self-worth, substance misuse and PTSD.
At its most extreme, IPV can result in the death of the victim. This is commonly referred to as femicide; a term first coined by Diana Russell in the 1970s to describe, ‘the killing of females by males because they are females’, or according to the World Health Organization (2012), ‘the intentional murder of women because they are women’.
Northern Ireland
Whilst femicide is a global public health emergency, the tragic deaths of four women …