Language of DV - may be triggering.

[Andromeida59]

Hi, I'm someone that works with DV victims. In my line of work and with other stakeholders, DV is often referred to. However, I'm finding that the actual victims and family/friends don't refer to DV but instead refer to actual acts (slap etc.).

If you have been a victim of Domestic Violence, did you call it DV or did you call it something else? If you did use another term, why didn't you use DV?

I just feel that we're missing something so any input would be really helpful.

this is interesting, yes I would think that victims would have a different volcabulary than professionals. I witnessed DV and have never articulated it at all. It's just there in my memory bank, and I am not sure I want to find a word for it.

Does an act of domestic violence only becomes DV when is reported/acknowledged - and this would involve a professional or outside stakeholder, who may or may not have experienced DV themselves.
So a 'slap' to a victim is not referred to as domestic violence until the experience is given that name.
So a 'slap' can be normalised within relationships if it is unknown outside of that relationship.
Loyalty and keeping quiet are also key in non reporting of DV

For me dv referred to something I didn't feel was my story. Many of us who have been through similar aren't really ready or able to call it what it is. Less big and scary to say what happened in an incident than accept and refer to it as prolonged physical abuse. I'm not sure that makes sense outside of my head...