Family Violence and Abuse Prevention

Sexual Violence Prevention Self-Directed Harm Prevention Workplace Violence Prevention Family Violence and Abuse Prevention





"Family abuse" means any act involving violence, force, or threat including any forceful detention, which results in physical injury or places one in reasonable apprehension of serious bodily injury and which is committed by a person against such a person's family or household member.

A "family or household member" includes:

  • Spouse, regardless of residence,
  • Ex-spouse, regardless of residence,
  • In-laws who live in the same home,
  • Persons who have a child in common regardless of residence,
  • Co-habitants, and
  • Those who have cohabited in the past year and their children.

The Virginia National Guard is working to emphasize and encourage help-seeking behaviors among service members and their families. Leaders, fellow service members, family members, and Virginia National Guard personnel must understand and recognize the warning signs of domestic violence so that appropriate intervention can take place, and distressed personnel are referred to the appropriate resources.

Power and Control Wheel

In the diagram, the Power and Control Wheel assumes she/her pronouns for the victim and he/him pronouns for the perpetrator, but the abusive behavior that it details can happen to people of any gender or sexuality. The wheel serves as a diagram of tactics that an abusive partner uses to keep their victims in a relationship. The inside of the wheel is made up of subtle, continual behaviors over time, while the outer ring represents physical and sexual violence. Abusive actions like those depicted in the outer ring often reinforce the regular use of other, more subtle methods found in the inner ring.

Photo Credit: Copyright by the Domestic Violence Intervention Project -202 East Superior Street, Duluth, MN, 55802 -218-722-2781

Contact

Family Violence and Abuse Prevention Leader
  • (434) 282-7272

National Domestic Violence Hotline

  • 800-799-7233
  • Hours: 24/7.
  • Languages: English, Spanish, and 200+ other languages through interpretation service