Defining Domestic Violence

Types of Abuse:

• Physical Abuse: hitting, punching, kicking, slapping, strangling, smothering, using or threatening to use weapons, shoving, interrupting your sleep, throwing things, destroying property, hurting or killing pets, and denying medical treatment.
• Sexual Abuse: Forced sex without your consent, making you feel fearful about saying no to sex, forcing sex with other partners, forcing you to participate in demeaning or degrading sexual acts, violence or name-calling during sex, and denying/manipulating contraception or protection from sexually transmitted diseases and/or pregnancy.
• Emotional Abuse: constant put downs or criticisms, name calling, acting superior, minimizing the abuse or blaming you for their behavior, gaslighting, damaging one’s relationship with his or her children, excessive jealousy, manipulation, accusations and keeping constant tabs on your whereabouts.
• Financial Abuse: Financial abuse occurs in 99% of domestic violence cases and can include: giving you an allowance, not letting you have your own money, hiding family assets, running up debt, interfering with your job, inquiring about every financial decision you make and ruining your credit.
• Psychological Abuse: causing fear by intimidation; threatening physical harm to self, partner, children, or partner's family or friends; destruction of pets and property; or forcing isolation from family, friends, or school and/or work.
• Tech Abuse: Demanding passwords to phone, social media sites and email, releasing personal photos/videos onto the internet without your consent, using spyware and/or GPS tracking.
• Spiritual Abuse: Using scripture to justify abusive behavior, ridiculing beliefs and practices, attempting to keep you from practicing beliefs, spreading rumors to religious leaders and congregation members.