About Domestic Violence

What is Domestic Violence?

Domestic Violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors in a relationship that are used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, financial, psychological, or digital. Abusive behaviors may include, but are not limited to, intimidation, manipulation, humiliation, isolation, coercion, threats, terrorizing, blaming, and hurting, injuring or wounding someone.

Signs of Abuse

  • Telling you that you can never do anything right
  • Showing jealousy of your friends and time spent away from spouse/partner
  • Accusing you of cheating on your spouse/partner
  • Keeping you or discouraging you from seeing friends or family members
  • Embarrassing or shaming you with put-downs
  • Controlling every penny spent in the household
  • Taking your money or refusing to give you money for expenses
  • Looking at you or acting in ways that scare you
  • Controlling who you see, where you go, or what you do
  • Preventing you from making your own decisions
  • Telling you that you are a bad parent or threatening to harm or take away your children
  • Preventing you from working or attending school
  • Destroying your property or threatening to hurt or kill your pets
  • Intimidating you with guns, knives or other weapons
  • Pressuring you to have sex when you do not want to or do things sexually you are not comfortable with
  • Forcing you to have sex with others
  • Refusing to use protection when having sex or sabotaging birth control
  • Pressuring you to use drugs or alcohol
  • Dictating how you dress, wear your hair, etc.
  • Stalking you or monitoring your every move (in person or also via the internet and/or other devices such as GPS tracking phone)
  • Telling you that you are a bad parent or threatening to hurt, kill, or take away your children
  • Threatening to hurt or kill your friends, loved ones, or pets

*Sources: The National Domestic Violence Hotline (http://www.thehotline.org/is-this-abuse/abuse-defined/), National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (http://www.ncadv.org/need-help/what-is-domestic-violence)

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