Recognising Abuse
Physical abuse - Infliction or threat of physical pain and / or injury e.g. pushing, slapping, hitting, hair-pulling, biting, arm-twisting, kicking, punching, hitting with an object, burning, choking or strangling, stabbing, attempted murder, murder, inappropriate restraint or sanctions, force feeding, misuse or inappropriate wihtolding of medications.
Emotional / Psychological abuse - intimidation by word or deed, humiliation, harassment, enforced social isolation (including cultural discrimination), blaming, controlling, threats.
Discrimination - where a person or group are treated less favourably than you would treat another based on their colour, age, sex, disability, sexual orientation, religion, status etc
Financial - forcing you to be materially dependent, controlling funds and other resources: withholding money or benefits, preventing you getting or holding down a job.
Neglect / Deprivation - inadequate care, neglect of physical and emotional needs, deprivation of food, clothing, medical attention or aids, denial of basic right to make informed choices, failure to provide access to appropriate social, health or educational services.
Sexual abuse - sexual contact without consent, this includes: fondling you, making you have intercourse, oral or anal sodomy, making you have sex with other people or friends, attacks on the sexual parts of the body including viewing of the sexual organ.
Isolation - controlling and limiting access: to friends and family, schools and work, imprisonment.
Intimidation - use of fear or physical harm to you or harm to others, use of blackmail, suicide threats, destruction of your pets and property.
Bullying - verbally threatening: blaming you, belittling you, ridiculing you and making fun of you.
Harassment: - is your partner stalking or following you, checking up on you, opening your mail, repeatedly checking to see who has telephoned you, or embarrass you in public.
Constant criticism - an attempt to undermine self image and sense of worth by: insults, put-downs in front of other people, and name calling.
Pressure tactics - is you partner threatening because you have not given in to demands: to take the children away, report you to welfare benefits agencies, or tell lies to your friends and family about you.
Breaking trust - does your partner have affairs with other people then tell you about it, or make you feel jealous, does your partner lie to you, break promises and withhold information from you.
Disrespect - does your partner always put you down in front of friends and other people not listen or respond to you when you talk, take money from your purse without asking, refuse to help with the housework or help take care of the children.
Mind games - Does your partner try to confuse you or make you feel you are losing your mind? Does your partner make you think that you are not to be trust because of your weakness of mind?
In some cases an individual may experience one or more of the abuses at the same time.
