Short answers, pulled from the story.
Jack Ashley used the phrase domestic violence for the first time in a modern context in 1973 before the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Before that moment, the term referred only to civil unrest or internal political strife, not the physical and psychological torment occurring behind closed doors.
English common law dating back to the 16th century allowed a husband to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. This legal framework persisted in the American colonies until the 19th century when the Mississippi Supreme Court in 1824 explicitly established a positive right to wife-beating in the case of State v. Bradley.
Lenore E. Walker described the pattern of domestic violence in the 1970s, identifying four distinct phases that repeat over time. The phases include a buildup of tension, an acute battering incident, reconciliation, and a return to tension.
The World Health Organization estimates that one in three women worldwide will experience domestic violence at some point in their life. This crime remains one of the most underreported in history despite the global prevalence of the issue.
The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known as the Istanbul Convention, came into force in August 2014. It became the first legally binding instrument in Europe dealing with domestic violence.
The World Health Organization estimates that globally, about 38% of female homicides are committed by an intimate partner. In the US, more than 50% of female homicides are committed by former or current intimate partners.