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Intimate Partner Violence in Same-Sex Relationships

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Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence

Definition

“IPV [intimate partner violence] refers to any behavior within an intimate relationship that causes physical, psychological, or sexual harm to those in the relationship” (World Health Organization [WHO], 2012, p. 1). “The term ‘domestic violence’ is used in many countries to refer to partner violence but the term can also encompass child or elder abuse, or abuse by any member of a household.” (WHO, 2012, p. 1). This definition also applies to IPV in sexual minority groups. In the present entry, we will use the term “same-sex intimate partners” and not “sexual minority” because we will focus specifically on same-sex IPV among lesbian women and gay men.

Introduction

According to the WHO and the Istanbul Convention, i.e., the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (CETS No. 210), IPV is a significant public health issue that violates human rights. Research on IPV has primarily been focused on male-to-female...

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Correspondence to Sofi Oskarsson .

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Oskarsson, S., Strand, S. (2023). Intimate Partner Violence in Same-Sex Relationships. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85493-5_641-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85493-5_641-1

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