What is Domestic Violence? One major problem with Domestic Violence is that people aren't sure what qualifies. Domestic Abuse is any violent action that is intended to intimidate, humiliate, manipulate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound your partner .
Four thousand women die each year at the hands of their abusers, that over three hundred a month and eleven each day in the US. Most of these happen when a victim leaves or attempts to leave their abuser. .Here are the five major types of domestic abuse. Please not that in the majority of cases these kinds are used in turn with each other. Remember abuse is when someone else tries to control your life, just because he doesn't hit you does not mean it is not abuse. Every minute there are 20 more victims of domestic abuse.
Men who grow up in a violent home are 3 to 4 times more likely to become abuser as adult. This is how the circle of violence is continued. There are 10,000,000 children that are growing up in an abusive home in the US.
Physical: This is the most obvious one, the use of force or the threat of the use of force and or violence to control your partner. 25% of physical domestic violence is unreported to police due to the victims believing it is their own fault.
Sexual: the use of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or forcing your partner to have sex by the use of guilt or threats, no matter what stage of a relationship you are in you do not have to have sex with anyone if you don't want to. Any unwanted sexual advances ( grabbing breasts, butt, crotch,) is sexual assault and it is a crime. If you are forced to have sex though the use or threat of violence it is rape and it is a crime. 40 to 45 percent of women in abusive relationships experience this kind of abuse.
Emotional/verbal- this is probably the one people miss the most. constant criticism, threats of any kind, and or harassment. We all say things we don't mean in the heat of an argument but this is unwarranted criticism that is meant to hurt and or control your partner. If your partner says things to you on a regular basis that are meant to hurt/embarrass you or to cause you to feel guilt over things outside your control, these include your weight, how much money you do or don't make, or any personal matters. Often times abusers will use this in order to blame their victim and it is a major reason why victims stay quiet.
Economic- this is controlling someone's income, this is using money or the threat of withholding money as a form of control. This is often used along with other forms of abuse.
Psychological- making light of or blaming the victim for the abuse. this is where phrase start to make excuses such as "well she pushed his button" "he warned her not to push him" "its just a one time thing" "if she doesn't like it she can leave" "boys will be boys". This abuse is the kind that is not only perpetrated by the abuser by also by others who will blame the victim for the abuse saying that it was some how their fault. DOMESTIC ABUSE IN ANY FORM IS NEVER THE FAULT OF THE VICTIM IT IS ALWAYS THE ABUSER THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS AND SHOULD SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES.
In a majority of cases these forms of abuse are used together because abuse is about control. Here is an example.
A woman named Jane is married to a man named John. In public they appear to be a perfectly happy couple. John is a lawyer and Jane stays home to take care of their home and child. The abuse happens behind closed doors. He gives her black eyes and bloody lips when she talks back to him, he makes the income so he controls when she buys clothes what the clothes look like and she is never allowed to leave the house alone. He tells her that the reason he does it is because she pushes him to far.
This is an example that is very generic.
This information is from the website of the Joyful Heart Foundation, this is a foundation that helps victims of domestic abuse to recover and find support as well as getting people to see that this is a problem.