What is Battering?

It is a system of coercive behavior that uses fear and intimidation to gain and sustain power over a woman and coerce her into behaving as the batterer wishes. 

It includes:

• Physical violence ranging from a push or slap to murder. 
  
  
• Verbal or emotional abuse; threats; destruction of objects or harm to those people and things important to the woman. 
  
  
• Verbal, physical or sexual abuse. 
  
  
• Intimidation; isolating the victim from friends and family; keeping the victim dependent through control of the family finances.