What is Abuse – Domestic Violence
- It occurs in an intimate relationship.
- It is a pattern of behavior in which one partner uses tactics of abuse and control to maintain dominance and power over the other partner.
- It occurs along a continuum of severity.
- The victim, usually a female, is afraid and altering her daily activities because of the abuse.
Domestic violence occurs in an intimate relationship when one person maintains power over the other by using a pattern of controlling and abusive behavior. The abuse may be emotional, verbal or physical. It may also include sexual assaults or threats. The victim may feel scared, confused, dependent, and insecure. Physical or sexual assault of an intimate partner – or the threat of – is a crime.
Domestic Violence destroys the body, the spirit, the family, and the future. Victims are often ashamed to let anyone know about intimate family problems, but abuse thrives in silence. No one has the right to be abusive and there is no such thing as a “deserved” beating — psychological or physical. The only person responsible for the tragedy of domestic violence is the abuser. Intervention is key to stopping this insidious cycle of violence.
Tactics of control and domination:
- Psychological battering
- Isolation (keeping the victim away from connections with family, friends and others who are part of her support network) Manipulation
- Verbal humiliation and degradation
- Damaging property
- Threats of harm to victim, others, self, pets, property
- Hurting self or people other than the victim
- Stalking
- Economic Oppression (controlling the money)
- Sexual humiliation
- Physical Assaults (including sexual) can range anywhere from shoving to using weapons.
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