What is domestic violence?
Domestic violence is a pattern of behaviors used by one person to gain power and control over another, and it can appear in many forms—physical, sexual, emotional, financial, technological, or psychological. This form of gender-based violence affects people across all demographics, regardless of age, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status, and occurs in many types of relationships, including married, divorced, separated, cohabiting, dating, or familial.
While domestic violence affects people from all backgrounds, women are disproportionately impacted and those from immigrant and Asian communities experience additional barriers. Understanding the wide scope of domestic violence is important, as it can appear in both adolescent and adult (including later in life) relationships at any stage, whether long-term or newly formed.
In New York City, the NYPD responds to over 245,000 domestic incident reports each year, yet advocates note that these numbers only reflect a small portion of actual cases. Many survivors, especially those from immigrant or multilingual households, do not report abuse due to fear, shame, or limited information about available services. For some, cultural expectations around privacy, family honor, or saving face make speaking out even harder.
Womankind helps bridge this gap. While we specialize in serving Asian communities, the trauma-informed care we offer—such as our 24/7 multilingual helpline, supportive counseling, and other holistic services—is valuable to all. Our work centers on supporting those affected by domestic violence to find safety, healing, and independence, no matter their cultural background.
What are 6 facts about domestic violence?
1. It’s more common than most people think.
Globally, one in three women experiences physical or sexual violence from a partner. In the United States, 18% of AAPI women have reported experiencing physical violence, rape, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Domestic violence also happens in families: in a 2010 national survey, 13% of Asian respondents experienced abuse by their in-laws and another study showed that 61% of Chinese, 80% of Korean, and 79% of South Asian adults reported being hit regularly as children.
In New York City, police respond to more than 245,000 domestic incident reports each year (2024 data)—nearly 117,000 of which are intimate partner-related—but advocates estimate the real number is far higher. Abuse affects individuals in every borough from Queens and Brooklyn to Manhattan and crosses all socioeconomic and cultural lines.
2. Many survivors never report abuse.
Survivors from Asian and immigrant communities in NYC often face unique barriers to seeking help. Language limitations, dependency on a spouse for visa status, fear of forced removal, and cultural stigma around “keeping family matters private” all contribute to silence. They may choose to stay in an abusive environment because they want to keep their family together—a strategic decision to minimize financial impact.
A 2022 study of South Asian women in the U.S. found that 31% experienced domestic violence, with 25% of those abused accessing no formal services and only 33% seeking therapy—reflecting low awareness and barriers such as cultural stigma that mirror challenges in immigrant communities, including in New York.
3. Abuse follows recognizable patterns.
Domestic violence often follows a cycle of tension, explosion, and honeymoon known as the “cycle of violence.” Over time, these cycles repeat and grow more intense. The abuse can be subtle or normalized in the household or community. Violence can escalate in certain situations, such as when there is increased commitment in the relationship—during pregnancy for example—or when the survivor gains (or wants to gain) more independence, such as the desire to assimilate into American culture.
4. Children are deeply affected.
In homes where domestic violence occurs, children are two to three times more likely to experience emotional and behavioral challenges. Many internalize fear or guilt, while others may repeat harmful patterns they witnessed growing up. In New York City’s multigenerational households, these effects can ripple across entire families—from children to parents to grandparents.
5. For older adults, domestic violence is more than intimate partner violence.
Abuse later in life includes intentional abuse, neglect, abandonment, and financial exploitation of adults aged 50 and older by someone they trust. It can be psychological, physical, or sexual. For older adults, domestic violence often manifests as family-based violence, where survivors are often harmed by family members—children or in-laws, for example—or caregivers rather than intimate partners. These experiences can lead to serious consequences, such as physical injuries, depression, memory decline, and financial loss, which for this age group can take longer to recover from.
6. Help is available—and culturally responsive.
Community organizations like Womankind provide multilingual, trauma-informed care that honors survivors’ diverse cultures and identities. Womankind’s 24/7 helpline connects survivors to safe housing, legal support, and counseling in more than 18 Asian languages and dialects. Each call, chat, or text message is a step toward safety, healing, and empowerment.
What are 10 types of domestic violence?
Domestic violence takes many forms, and not all of them leave visible marks. In a city as diverse as New York, these behaviors may be shaped by culture, language, and circumstance, but the signs often look the same across different backgrounds. Recognizing these behaviors—no matter how subtle—can be the first step toward understanding this complex and often underreported issue.
1. Physical Abuse
Physical abuse involves any deliberate act that causes or intends to cause bodily harm or pain, such as hitting, slapping, pushing, choking, restraining, or using objects as weapons. It can also include preventing someone from seeking medical care or using physical intimidation to create fear.
In New York City, police respond to thousands of such incidents each year, but many cases go unreported—especially among immigrant and Asian families who may fear stigma, community backlash, or deportation. Womankind provides confidential safety planning and connects individuals facing immediate danger to emergency housing (shelter).
2. Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse happens when a person forces or pressures someone into sexual activity without consent, including in marriage or other intimate relationships. It can include reproductive coercion and control, such as sabotaging birth control, forcing pregnancy, or refusing to use protection. Technological types of sexual abuse include sharing intimate photos or videos to cause fear or public humiliation. Sexual abuse can occur in many relationships, including family members and coworkers.
Systems meant to help survivors often have long delays, like with rape kits, and they often ask survivors to prove everything themselves. This leads many victims to decide not to move forward with the legal process. Because sexual violence is rarely discussed in many Asian cultures, survivors may feel pressure to remain silent to preserve family harmony. Womankind’s advocates offer culturally sensitive, trauma-informed support in multiple languages, so survivors can speak openly, safely, and without shame.
3. Forced Marriage and Child Marriage
Forced marriage occurs when one or both individuals cannot give full and free consent due to pressure, threats, fraud, or coercion. Child marriage is a formal or informal union in which one or both individuals are under 18.
Both are human rights violations that put women and young girls at risk of domestic violence, disrupted education, economic dependency, and serious health issues, including complications from early pregnancy. This abuse, rooted in patriarchy, centers around gender identity and can continue across the lifespan. Survivors may feel trapped between cultural expectations and their own safety. Womankind works with individuals facing forced marriage or child marriage to access legal guidance, safety planning, and culturally informed support.
4. Honor-Based Violence
Honor-based violence happens in societies that are driven by patriarchal beliefs that favor one gender and control behaviors, relationships, and morality of others. An honor code decides what behavior is acceptable. When a person is seen as bringing shame or dishonor to the family, their partner, relatives, or even community members may use violence to restore their honor. This violence can include threats, assault, confinement, or even murder. Womankind offers confidential support to help survivors navigate complex family and community pressures safely.
5. Stalking and Harassment
Stalking involves repeated, unwanted attention, or monitoring that causes fear or distress. This can include following someone, appearing unexpectedly at their home or workplace, sending excessive messages, or contacting friends and family to track their movements.
Although stalking is a crime in New York, it is frequently underreported because it is difficult to prove and the burden of proof falls on the victim—especially when the person responsible is a partner, relative, or member of a tight-knit community. Womankind helps survivors create safety plans, document incidents, and access legal or protective resources if they choose.
6. Coercive Control
Coercive control is a pattern of behavior intended to dominate a person’s life and strip away their independence. An abuser may dictate what a survivor wears, whom they see, where they go, or how they spend their time.
This form of abuse often develops gradually and may not involve physical violence, but it can feel like living under constant surveillance. In some families, coercive control may be framed as “protection” or justified through cultural expectations. Womankind’s advocates help survivors identify these patterns and begin reclaiming their autonomy.
7. Emotional, Psychological, and Verbal Abuse
Emotional abuse weakens a person’s sense of self through insults, humiliation, threats, intimidation, or constant criticism. Verbal abuse—such as yelling, name-calling, or belittling—is often part of this pattern. Causing emotional pain and trauma through manipulation, gaslighting, and controlling behavior is common in emotional abuse.
Over time, these behaviors can wear down a survivor’s confidence and isolate them from support networks. In immigrant households, emotional abuse may sound like “You can’t survive here without me” or “You’ll embarrass our family.” Womankind helps survivors rebuild self-esteem through counseling, peer support, and community-based healing programs.
8. Financial and Economic Abuse
Financial abuse occurs when an abuser controls access to money or economic resources to maintain power. This can include preventing someone from working, controlling bank accounts, forcing debt, or hiding financial information.
In a city as expensive as New York, financial dependency can make leaving unsafe situations even harder. Womankind’s Pathways to Empowerment Program helps survivors build economic stability through financial literacy, credit building, and long-term planning.
9. Immigration-Related Abuse
Immigration abuse occurs when an abuser uses a survivor’s immigration status as a tool of control. This may include threatening deportation, withholding immigration documents, or refusing to file paperwork that would let survivor work or stay legally in the United States.
Many survivors hesitate to seek help because they fear losing their immigration status. Womankind provides confidential support and legal referrals to help survivors understand their rights and explore available immigration protections.
10. Digital Abuse
Digital abuse occurs when technology is used to monitor, threaten, or harass a survivor. This can include monitoring someone through tracking devices and shared locations, reading private messages, cyberstalking, controlling social media accounts, or threatening to share private images after consent has been taken back.
Because smartphones and messaging apps are part of daily life, digital abuse can be hard to notice. Womankind offers digital safety guidance to help survivors protect their privacy and regain control of their online lives.
Domestic Violence Resources
Signs of Domestic Violence
Learn common signs of abusive and harmful behavior to identify if you or someone you know might be experiencing domestic violence.
If You Need Help
You are not alone. Womankind is here to help.
In immigrant households, different forms of abuse and control can overlap—abusers may threaten to contact immigration authorities, restrict English classes, or use family networks to isolate survivors. Womankind’s advocates understand these nuanced cultural dynamics firsthand. We specialize in serving Asian survivors of gender-based violence, but what we offer is valuable to all. Our team of compassionate advocates is highly trained to help survivors build a path to healing. We help survivors create safety plans, access housing and legal support, and rebuild confidence in a language and setting they trust.
If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these forms of abuse in New York City, support is available. Womankind’s community offices and 24/7 multilingual helpline (1-888-888-7702) connect survivors to free and confidential services in English, over 18 Asian languages and dialects, and Spanish.
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