Assaults occur when someone intentionally applies force to another person without the consent of the other or threatens to apply force. It is "domestic" in nature if the relationship between the parties are that of husband-wife, same sex partners or boyfriend-girlfriend relationships. Some law enforcement and community support agencies consider violence or threats of violence between parent-child, and siblings as "domestic" in nature. As one can imagine, these types of conflicts are regrettably common worldwide to the extent that in Ontario, the Government has set up domestic violence courts that specialize in processing these types of cases.