OF SOUTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT! Signs Of Violence What is the definition of domestic abuse between intimate partners?Domestic abuse between spouses or intimate partners is when one person in a marital or intimate relationship tries to control the other person. The perpetrator uses fear and intimidation and may threaten to use or may actually use physical violence. Domestic abuse that includes physical violence is called domestic violence. The victim of domestic abuse or domestic violence may be a man or a woman. Domestic abuse occurs in traditional heterosexual marriages, as well as in same-sex partnerships. The abuse may occur during a relationship, while the couple is breaking up, or after the relationship has ended. Domestic abuse often escalates from threats and verbal abuse to physical violence. Domestic violence may even end up in murder. The key elements of domestic abuse are:
Domestic abuse is not a result of losing control; domestic abuse is intentionally trying to control another person. The abuser is purposefully using verbal, nonverbal, or physical means to gain control over the other person. In some cultures, control of women by men is accepted as the norm. This article speaks from the orientation that control of intimate partners is domestic abuse within a culture where such control is not the norm. Today we see many cultures moving from the subordination of women to increased equality of women within relationships. What are the types of domestic abuse?The types of domestic abuse are:
The divisions between these types of domestic abuse are somewhat fluid, but there is a strong differentiation between the various forms of physical abuse and the various types of verbal or nonverbal abuse. What is physical abuse of a spouse or intimate partner?Physical abuse is the use of physical force against another person in a way that ends up injuring the person, or puts the person at risk of being injured. Physical abuse ranges from physical restraint to murder. When someone talks of domestic violence, they are often referring to physical abuse of a spouse or intimate partner. Physical assault or physical battering is a crime, whether it occurs inside a family or outside the family. The police are empowered to protect you from physical attack. Physical abuse includes:
What is emotional abuse or verbal abuse of a spouse or intimate partner?Mental, psychological, or emotional abuse can be verbal or nonverbal. Verbal or nonverbal abuse of a spouse or intimate partner consists of more subtle actions or behaviors than physical abuse. While physical abuse might seem worse, the scars of verbal and emotional abuse are deep. Studies show that verbal or nonverbal abuse can be much more emotionally damaging than physical abuse. Verbal or nonverbal abuse of a spouse or intimate partner may include:
What is sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a spouse or intimate partner?Sexual abuse includes:
Sexual abuse often is linked to physical abuse; they may occur together, or the sexual abuse may occur after a bout of physical abuse. What is stalking?Stalking is harassment of or threatening another person, especially in a way that haunts the person physically or emotionally in a repetitive and devious manner. Stalking of an intimate partner can take place during the relationship, with intense monitoring of the partner’s activities. Or stalking can take place after a partner or spouse has left the relationship. The stalker may be trying to get their partner back, or they may wish to harm their partner as punishment for their departure. Regardless of the fine details, the victim fears for their safety. Stalking can take place at or near the victim’s home, near or in their workplace, on the way to the store or another destination, or on the Internet (cyber-stalking). Stalking can be on the phone, in person, or online. Stalkers may never show their face, or they may be everywhere, in person. Stalkers employ a number of threatening tactics:
Stalking is unpredictable and should always be considered dangerous. If someone is
then seek help immediately. What is cyber-stalking?Cyber-stalking is the use of telecommunication technologies such as the Internet or email to stalk another person. Cyber-stalking may be an additional form of stalking, or it may be the only method the abuser employs. Cyber-stalking is deliberate, persistent, and personal. Spamming with unsolicited email is different from cyber-stalking. Spam does not focus on the individual, as does cyber-stalking. The cyber-stalker methodically finds and contacts the victim. Much like spam of a sexual nature, a cyber-stalker’s message may be disturbing and inappropriate. Also like spam, you cannot stop the contact with a request. In fact, the more you protest or respond, the more rewarded the cyber-stalker feels. The best response to cyber-stalking is not to respond to the contact. Cyber-stalking falls in a gray area of law enforcement. Enforcement of most state and federal stalking laws requires that the victim be directly threatened with an act of violence. Very few law enforcement agencies can act if the threat is only implied. Regardless of whether you can get stalking laws enforced against cyber-stalking, you must treat cyber-stalking seriously and protect yourself. Cyber-stalking sometimes advances to real stalking and to physical violence. How likely is it that stalking will turn into violence?Stalking can end in violence whether or not the stalker threatens violence. And stalking can turn into violence even if the stalker has no history of violence. Women stalkers are just as likely to become violent as are male stalkers. Those around the stalking victim are also in danger of being hurt. For instance, a parent, spouse, or bodyguard who makes the stalking victim unattainable may be hurt or killed as the stalker pursues the stalking victim. What is economic or financial abuse of a spouse or domestic partner?Economic or financial abuse includes:
What is spiritual abuse of a spouse or intimate partner?Spiritual abuse includes:
How do I know if I am in an abusive relationship? What are the signs and symptoms of an abusive relationship?The more of the following questions that you answer Yes to, the more likely you are in an abusive relationship. Examine your answers and seek help if you find that you respond positively to a large number of the questions. Your inner feelings and dialogue: Fear, self-loathing, numbness, desperation
Your partner’s lack of control over their own behavior
Your partner’s violent or threatening behavior
Your partner’s controlling behavior
Your partner’s diminishment of you
In my workplace, what are the warning signs that a person is a victim of domestic violence?Domestic violence often plays out in the workplace. For instance, a husband, wife, girlfriend, or boyfriend might make threatening phone calls to their intimate partner or ex-partner. Or the worker may show injuries from physical abuse at home. If you witness a cluster of the following warning signs in the workplace, you can reasonably suspect domestic abuse:
If you do recognize signs of domestic abuse in a co-worker, talk to your Human Resources department. The Human Resources staff should be able to help the victim without your further involvement. What are the causes of domestic abuse or domestic violence?A strong predictor of domestic violence in adulthood is domestic violence in the household in which the person was reared. For instance, a child’s exposure to their father’s abuse of their mother is the strongest risk factor for transmitting domestic violence from one generation to the next. This cycle of domestic violence is difficult to break because parents have presented violence as the norm. Individuals living with domestic violence in their households have learned that violence and mistreatment are the way to vent anger. Someone resorts to physical violence because
Some immediate causes that can set off a bout of domestic abuse are:
How does society perpetuate domestic abuse?Society contributes to domestic violence by not taking it seriously enough and by treating it as expected, normal, or deserved. Specifically, society perpetuates domestic abuse in the following ways.
Community solutions may be inadequate, such that victims cannot get the help they need. For example, seeking refuge in a shelter may require a woman to leave her neighborhood, social support system, job, school, and childcare. In addition, teenagers are often not welcome at shelters, particularly teenage males. Teenage girls with children may have difficulty finding shelter because of their own age. And male victims of domestic violence have trouble finding shelters that will take them. Domestic abuse is more common in low-income populations. Low-income victims may lack mobility and the financial resources to leave an abusive situation. Who abuses their spouse or intimate partner?Domestic abuse knows no age or ethnic boundaries. Domestic abuse can occur during a relationship or after a relationship has ended. Most psychological, medical, and legal experts agree that the vast majority of physical abusers are men. However, women can also be the perpetrators of domestic violence. The majority of stalkers are also men stalking women. But stalkers can also be women stalking men, men stalking men, or women stalking women. What are the results of domestic violence or abuse?The results of domestic violence or abuse can be very long-lasting. People who are abused by a spouse or intimate partner may develop:
Physical abuse may result in death, if the victim does not leave the relationship. What is the effect of domestic violence on children?Children who witness domestic violence may develop serious emotional, behavioral, developmental, or academic problems. As children, they may become violent themselves, or withdraw. Some act out at home or school; others try to be the perfect child. Children from violent homes may become depressed and have low self-esteem. As they develop, children and teens who grow up with domestic violence in the household are
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