Domestic Violence & Dating Violence" is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Dating/domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, psychological, or technological actions or threats of actions or other patterns of coercive behavior that influence another person within an intimate partner relationship. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone.

A domestic relationship is usually defined as a partnership with a current or former spouse or intimate partner; a person with whom a child is shared; a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner. Domestic violence can also be inflicted towards an adult or a youth who is supposed to be protected from that person's acts under domestic or family violence laws; such as children, siblings, and grandparents.

Dating violence is similar in the way that violence is committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim; but the "domestic"status does not apply to the relationship. The status of a relationship is determined based on considering the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship. Examples of dating violence and domestic violence are almost identical.

Examples of dating & domestic violence include:

• Physical Abuse – Examples include hitting, shoving, grabbing, pinching, hair pulling, denying a partner medical care, or forcing them to consume substances.
• Sexual Abuse - Coercing or attempting to coerce any sexual contact or behavior without consent. Sexual abuse includes, but is certainly not limited to, marital rape, attacks on sexual parts of the body, forcing sex after physical violence has occurred, or treating one in a sexually demeaning manner.
• Emotional Abuse - Undermining an individual's sense of self-worth and/or self-esteem. This may include, but is not limited to constant criticism, diminishing one's abilities, name-calling, or damaging one's relationship with his or her children.
• Economic Abuse – Controlling or restraining a person’s ability to acquire, use, or maintain economic resources which they are entitled to. This includes using coercion, fraud, or manipulation to restrict a person’s access to financial resources; unfairly using a person’s personal economic resources; exerting undue influence over a person’s financial and economic behavior or decisions. Examples of economic abuse include controlling how someone uses the money they have earned; forcing someone to co-sign financial documents/agreements; exploiting powers of attorney or guardianship; failing or neglecting to act in the best interest of a person to whom one has a financial responsibility.
• Psychological Abuse - Elements of psychological abuse include - but are not limited to - causing fear by intimidation; threatening physical harm to self, partner, children, or partner's family or friends; destruction of pets and property; and forcing isolation from family, friends, or school and/or work.
• Technical Abuse - An act or pattern of behavior that is intended to harm, threaten, control, stalk, harass, impersonate, exploit, extort, or monitor another person that occurs using any form of technology. This can include, but is not limited to using internet enabled devices, online spaces and platforms, computers, mobile devices, cameras and imaging programs, apps, location tracking devices, or communication technologies.

Any sexual act directed against another person, without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent.

Examples of sexual assault include:

• Rape – The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.
• Fondling – The touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without the consent of the victim; including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of their age or because of their temporary or permanent mental incapacity.
• Incest – Sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by law.
• Statutory Rape – Sexual intercourse with a person who is under the statutory age of consent (California age of consent is 18).

Engaging in a pattern of behaviors (two or more) directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety or the safety of others; or suffer substantial emotional distress. These stalking behaviors may be acts, including, but not limited to, acts in which the stalker directly, indirectly, or through third parties, (by any action, method, device, or means) follows, monitors, observes, surveils, threatens, or communicates to or about a person, or interferes with a person’s property.

Examples of stalking include:

• Unwanted following or watching of another person
• Using technology to secretly track an individual’s location, activities and/or conversations
• Leaving strange or potentially threatening items for the victim to find
• Breaking into the victim’s home or car and doing things to scare the victim or let the victim know they had been there
• Unwanted phone calls, texts, emails, social media contact, letters, presents, etc.

Consent is an ongoing process of discussing boundaries and what you’re comfortable with. Consent relating to a sexual experience is an agreement between participants to engage in sexual activity. Consent should be clearly and freely communicated. Consent cannot be given by individuals who are underage, intoxicated or incapacitated by drugs or alcohol, or asleep or unconscious. If someone agrees to an activity under pressure of intimidation or threat, that isn’t considered consent because it was not given freely.

Examples of consent include:

• Asking permission before you change the type or degree of sexual activity with phrases like “Is this OK?”
• Confirming that there is reciprocal interest before initiating any physical touch.
• Letting your partner know that you can stop at any time.
• Periodically checking in with your partner, such as asking “Is this still okay?”
• Providing positive feedback when you’re comfortable with an activity.
• Explicitly agreeing to certain activities, either by saying “yes” or another affirmative statement, like “I’m open to trying.”
• Using physical cues to let the other person know you’re comfortable taking things to the next level. Please note that physiological responses like an erection, lubrication, arousal, or orgasm are involuntary, meaning your body might react one way even when you are not consenting to the activity. In no way does a physiological response mean that you consented to what happened.