What is Domestic Violence?
Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior that is used by an individual to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner or family member.
Dating violence is a kind of intimate partner violence that occurs between two people in a close relationship. It is a pattern of abusive behaviors by one partner against the other within the context of either casual dating or a long-term relationship.
Physical Abuse
Involves injuring, disabling or killing the victim. Physical abuse can be performed with a weapon or restraint or merely using body, size or strength to harm another person. The injury from the abuse does not have to be major.
Financial Abuse
Demanding access to your money
Preventing you from working
Insisting that if they pay for you, you owe them something in return
Digital Abuse
Sending threats via text, social media or email
Stalking or embarrassing you on social media
Hacking your social media or email accounts without permission
Forcing you to share passwords
Constantly texting or calling to check up on you
Frequently looking through your phone or monitoring your texts/call log
Emotional/Physchological Abuse
Humiliating, insulting, or swearing at the other
Attempting to control activities
Trying to destroy self-confidence and self-esteem
Isolating the person from other friends and family
Sexual Abuse
Not only includes rape and sexual assault, but it also includes demeaning behavior like exposing a partner's body to friends, forcing a partner into posing for pornography, secretly videotaping a partner while engaging in sex, or forcing a partner to have sex without using protection.
Safety plan
A safety plan is a personalized, practical plan that can help you avoid dangerous situations and know the best way to react when you're in danger. If you're experiencing abuse or are in an unhealthy relationship, creating a safety plan can be very helpful.