Current statistics show that intimate partner violence is a prevalent form of gender-based violence. It has been identified by the World Health Organization as a major global public health concern, as it affects millions of people and can result in immediate and long-lasting health, social, and economic consequences. 

Without being addressed, the trauma of such experiences will remain with the person, and can even be passed on to those around them, or to a persons children or grandchildren. The aim of this documentary is to raise awareness of the global scale of this issue, as well as giving viewers the opportunity to learn from people who have lived in, and escaped, such situations. 

 

Types of Intimate Partner Violence, or IPV, can include:​

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• Physical Abuse: Intentional or Threatened use of physical force, including pushing, hitting, cutting, punching, slapping, shoving, or strangulation

• Criminal Harrassment (or Stalking): Repeated conduct that creates fear for one’s safety or the safety of a loved one. The repeated conduct can include making threats, obscene phone calls, following, watching, tracking, contacting on the internet, including through texts or email messages.

• Sexual violence: Sexual acts without consent, threats of repercussions for refusing sexual activity, forcing somebody to watch or participate in the making of pornography, or sexually degrading language and belittling sexual comments

• Emotional Psychological abuse: Insults, belittling, constant humiliation, intimidation, threats of harm, threats to take away children, harm or threat of harm to pets

• Financial abuse: control or misuse of money, assets or property, control of a partners ability to access school or a job

• Spiritual abuse: Using a partner’s spiritual beliefs to manipulate, dominate, or control them.

• Reproductive coercion: Controlling reproductive choices, pregnancy outcomes, and/or access to health services

• Coercive Control: Patterns of control and abuse that cause fear or terror, including using force and or threats to control behavior, and control (regulating or dominating a partner’s behavior and choices, isolating a person from family and friends, and restricting access to employment, education, or medical care)

• Cyber violence: Use of technologies to facilitate virtual or in-person harm, including observing and listening to a person, tracking their location to scare, intimidate, or humiliate a person.