Man and woman have been created, which is to say, willed by God: on the one hand, in perfect equality as human persons; on the other, in their respective beings as man and woman… [each] possess an inalienable dignity which comes to them immediately from God their Creator (CCC, no 369).
is a breakdown in the relationship between man and woman. Man and woman are equal in dignity and called to communion. Each person is willed for his or her own sake and is to be loved, not used. But sin has brought in a tendency toward domination. "In this tragic situation, the equality, respect and love that are required in the relationship of man and woman according to God's original plan, are lost (USCCB).
The body of the other is often viewed as an object to be used as long as it offers satisfaction, and rejected once it is no longer appealing. Can we really ignore or overlook the continuing forms of domination, arrogance, abuse, sexual perversion and violence that are the product of a warped understanding of sexuality? (Amoris Laetitia, no. 153).
Domestic violence is any kind of behavior that a person uses to control an intimate partner through fear and intimidation. It includes physical, sexual, psychological, verbal, and economic abuse. Some examples of domestic abuse include battering, name-calling and insults, threats to kill or harm one's partner or children, destruction of property, marital rape, and forced sterilization or abortion. (USCCB)