Domestic violence includes deliberate intimidation, assault, battery, sexual assault or other abusive behavior committed by one intimate partner against another. According to the National Center for Victims of Crime (2011), domestic violence abusers consistently denigrate, degrade, or humiliate their partners. Unfortunately, it is known that victims of domestic violence generally blame their own actions rather than the violent behavior of the abuser. Conversely, the violence perpetrated by aggressors is repetitive and depends little on the behavior of the victims. The use of psychological, emotional, and physical violence, combined with episodes of “respite, love, and happiness, are premeditated coercive tools used to generate submission” (National Center for Victims of Crime, 2011, para 6). This confusing behavior generates a perplexing situation for the victims. Domestic violence does not only affect abused people. Unfortunately, children are also victims of domestic violence. The difficult struggle between intimate partners is continually a hot topic of research in relation to the harmful effects of violence on children. Therefore, it is known that witnessing domestic violence could have serious and far-reaching consequences for children. Innocent Victims of Domestic Violence Every year, an overwhelming number of innocent children are exposed to domestic violence. Children witnessing domestic violence in America is a significant dilemma that continues to be of great concern. It is estimated that in the United States, approximately 15.5 million children have witnessed domestic violence, while seven million have witnessed incidents of brutal violence (Fortin, Doucet, & Damant, 2011). This f...... middle of paper ......f children witnessing domestic violence. Child and Family Social Work, 14(4), 491-501. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2009.00633.xStiles, M. (2002). Witnessing domestic violence: the effect on children. 1;66(11):2052-2067. American family physician. Retrieved from http://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/1201/p2052.htmlStover, C. (2005). Domestic Violence Research: What Have We Learned and Where Do We Go From Here? Journal of Interpersonal Violence, (20)4, 287-315. doi:10.1177/0886260504267755National Center for Victims of Crime. (2011). Domestic violence. Retrieved from http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewer&DocumentID=32347#3Vickerman, K. and Margolin, G. (2007). Post-traumatic stress in children and adolescents exposed to family violence: II. Treatment. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38(6), 620-628. do I:10.1037/0735-7028.38.6.620