DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS NOT ABOUT LOVE
TYPES OF ABUSE:
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Physical
includes hitting, punching, slapping, kicking, choking, shoving, being hit with objects or being held against one's will
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Emotional/Verbal
making the person feel hurt or bad - like constantly putting the other partner down or making them feel stupid. It can include emotional blackmail, like threatening to commit suicide if their partner leaves.
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Sexual
What does it mean to be sexually abused? Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is forcing undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or (often pejoratively) molester.The term also covers any behavior by any adult or older adolescent towards a child to stimulate any of the involved sexually. When the victim is younger than the age of consent, it is referred to as statutory rapeor child sexual abuse.
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Financial another name for stealing or defrauding someone of goods and/or property. It is always a crime but is not always prosecuted. Sometime the issue is straightforward, for example a careworker stealing from an older person's purse, but at other times it is more difficult to address.
IT IS ABOUT POWER AND CONTROL
It is NEVER the victims fault"
Domestic violence isn't always physical.
There are other forms of abuse that can hurt just as much as
physical abuse or more.
Do you feel that you can't discuss with your partner what is bothering you?
Does your partner frequently criticize you, humiliate you, or undermine your self-esteem?
Does your partner ridicule you for expressing yourself?
Does your partner isolate you from friends, family or groups?
Does your partner limit your access to work, money or material resources?
Has your partner ever stolen from you? Or run up debts for you to handle?
Does your relationship swing back and forth between a lot of emotional distance and being very close?
Have you ever felt obligated to have sex, just to avoid an argument about it?
Do you sometimes feel trapped in the relationship?
Has your partner ever thrown away your belongings, destroyed objects or threatened pets?
Are you afraid of your partner?