It is very easy to be charged with domestic violence in the context of a separation as this is a time where there may a large amount of anger and emotional discussions between the parties. Domestic violence is not treated any differently just because the parties are separated and its definition remains the same as always.
Domestic violence includes the use or threat of physical or sexual force and includes emotional or psychological abuse or harassing/threatening behavior directed between partners with whom there is or was an intimate relationship. This means that domestic abuse can include non-physical violence and can also include actions as small as a slap.
