Terms such as domestic violence ‘victim,’ ‘survivor,’ or ‘perpetrator’ are often used to describe individuals involved in these experiences. Another term commonly used in healthcare is Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).

According to Partners for Prevention (P4P) - a program for gender-based violence prevention in Asia and the Pacific by the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Populations Fund, UN Women, and UN Volunteers Regional - this terminology limits individual self-agency and identification as the experiences do not define the individual, but are a piece of a larger self-identity.

Instead of using these terms, P4P recommends using the following terms: 

• person/woman/man who has experienced violence
• person/woman/man who has perpetrated violence

For information and advice, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 (SAFE). For specific resources available, please also refer to “What resources exist for domestic violence victims?”

Source: Partners for Prevention