The terms domestic violence or intimate partner violence are gender neutral as they assume that any gender can be a victim and perpetrator of abuse. Domestic violence refers to the use of physical or sexual force, actual or threatened violent acts in an intimate relationship (Alberta Justice Communications, 2014). It can also be understood as a pattern of behavior used by an individual to gain power and control over another individual with whom he or she has or has had an intimate relationship (Ontario Health and Safety Council of Ontario, 2013). Intimate partner violence can be described as a subset of domestic violence involving intimate partners. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), intimate partner violence refers to acts of physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, and psychological aggression, including coercive behavior, by a current or former intimate partner, i.e. spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend. , dating partner or current sexual partner. The center conceptualizes the term based on four types: 1. Physical violence: However, the term is traditionally connoted to suggest gender-oriented overtones as men are depicted as perpetuators and women as victims. In the same document, WHO (2010) mentions that women can be violent in relationships with men, "often in self-defense", and that the most common perpetrators of violence against women are intimate partners or ex-male partners . They also suggested that men are more likely to experience violent acts from strangers or acquaintances rather than from someone close to them. This tends to divert the reality of intimate partner abuse from being interpreted as violent behavior but a gender-oriented phenomenon that reaffirms the patriarchal structure in society, according to feminists.