Domestic Violence and Relationships

Healthy marriages are safe. They are free from emotional, sexual and physical abuse or coersion. Healthy marriage policies should not trap anyone in an unsafe relationship or be coercive in nature. Public policy efforts to strengthen marriage must also provide protections for those who are or have experienced violence in their intimate relationships.

Domestic violence safeguards in federal public policy currently include requirements that healthy marriage service providers consult with domestic violence experts as they design and implement their programs, which helps to ensure that domestic violence issues are appropriately addressed. The healthy marriage services supported by federal funds must also be voluntary for all participants. This decreases the likelihood that individuals or couples will feel coerced. Finally, encouraging relationships between the healthy marriage and domestic violence service providers can ensure that victims of domestic violence have access to appropriate resources in the community.

Additional information on domestic violence is available in the “Individuals and Couples” section of our website.

Additional Resources

It's Not Healthy If It's Not Safe: Responding to Domestic Violence Issues within Healthy Marriage Programs , by Anne Menard, Director, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Oliver Williams, Ph.D., Director, Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community (2006).
Building Bridges Between Healthy Marriage, Responsible Fatherhood, and Domestic Violence Programs: A Preliminary Guide , by Theodora Ooms, Paula Roberts, Anne Menard et al. (2006)