Types of Abuse
Domestic abuse can take many forms. Many of these don’t include physical violence.
Emotional/mental abuse can take many forms. It is often the most difficult to recognise and can be the most pervasive. It can include:
- Being put down by your partner down e.g., being told that you are ugly, stupid or incompetent.
- Being humiliated in front of your friends, family or in public.
- ‘Outing’ or threatening to out you to friends, family or work
- Cutting off the phone or monitoring your calls or bills.
- Preventing you from attending LGBT (or other) events and venues.
- Being locked in the house against your will.
- Threatening your children (if any).
- Harming or threatening to harm any pets.
- Refusing to give you money you are entitled to, or making you account for everything you spend.
- Selling, or destroying, your possessions.
- Keeping you short of money or making you ask for money
- Making it difficult for you to work.
- Being followed when you go to work, home or out, or constantly watching you, your house or work.
- Calling, texting or emailing you or your family, friends or work colleagues more often than is appropriate, or when asked not to.
- Physical abuse is any type of physical violence that an abusive person inflicts on their partner. It can include:
- Hitting, kicking, pushing, slapping, strangling, burning.
- Breaking possessions, punching/kicking walls.
- Sexual abuse is any behaviour where one partner forces the other to perform sexual acts they don’t want to. It can include:
- Pressured to have sex when you don’t want to.
- Pressured, forced or tricked into having unsafe sex.
- Making you have sex with other people.
- Sexually assaulting or raping you.
