Vicarious violence is when men harm their partners or children through other people. The term was coined in 2012 and has been included in law since then.

The most common form is murder, but there are many other forms of violence, such as child abuse and sexual abuse. The majority of the time, the abuse is not reported to the police, but to the victim's family or friends, who may not be aware of it until it is too late. The victims are often the children of men who have abused them in the past.