The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) defines dating violence as violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic of intimate nature with the victim. The existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the following factors:
- The length of the relationship
- The type of relationship
- The frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.
For additional information, visit the Intimate Partner Violence section of the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) website.
For information specifically about teen dating violence, see our Teen Dating Violence Special Feature.