Domestic violence and abuse is defined as “any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence, or abuse between those aged 16 or over who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality,” according to the UK government.
As per the statistics, Men are the primary perpetrators of domestic abuse, and women are the primary victims. However, men, children & the elderly can also be victims of domestic abuse.
Examples of Domestic Abuse:
Coercive control, physical, sexual, emotional/psychological, financial or economic abuse, stalking, and online/digital abuse are all examples of domestic violence.
Coercive control: It is a type of controlling behaviour that is intended to make a person reliant by isolating them from assistance, exploiting them, robbing them of their independence, and dictating their daily activities.
The following are some examples of coercive behavior:
- Cutting you off from your loved ones
- Denying you essential necessities such as food
- Controlling your finances & daily life
- Humiliating, degrading & intimidating you
Physical abuse: Pushing, hitting, punching, kicking, choking, and using weapons or other physical forces are all examples of physical abuse.
Sexual abuse: Sexual abuse occurs when you are pushed or pressured to have sex without your consent, engage in unwanted sexual behaviour, are touched, groped, or forced to watch pornography without your consent.
Emotional/psychological abuse: Emotional/psychological abuse occurs when someone is subjected to a circumstance that can lead to psychological trauma, such as anxiety, sadness, or post-traumatic stress disorder.
The following are some examples of emotional/psychological abuse:
- Cutting you off from friends, family, school, and/or employment
- Putting you down
- accusing you of having affairs or flirting
- blamming you for the abuse or arguments
Financial/economic abuse: Financial/economic abuse includes keeping entire control over financial resources, restricting access to money, and/or forbidding attendance at school or work in order to make a person financially dependent.
Stalking: The purpose of stalking is to harass, annoy, or intimidate the victim.
Here are a few examples:
- Making repeated phone calls
- Unwanted mails, such as letters or gifts
- Surveillance at the victim’s workplace, residence, and other known haunts
Online/digital abuse: Domestic abusers frequently use online/digital platforms to harass and abuse their victims (Examples – reading emails, checking texts and locations of social media posts, using spyware or GPS locators to track).
Where to get help:
Helpline Number:
- Women can call The Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247 for free at any time, day or night. The staff will offer confidential, non-judgemental information and support.
- Men can call Men’s Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 (Monday and Wednesday, 9am to 8pm, and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9am to 5pm) for non-judgemental information and support
- Men can also call ManKind on 0182 3334 244 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm)
- LGBT+ people can call Galop on 0800 999 5428 for emotional and practical support
- Anyone can call Karma Nirvana on 0800 5999 247 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm) for forced marriage and honour crimes. You can also call 020 7008 0151 to speak to the GOV.UK Forced Marriage Unit
- In an emergency, call 999
Email Support:
- Women can email helpline@womensaid.org.uk. Staff will respond to your email within 5 working days
- Men can email info@mensadviceline.org.uk
- LGBT+ people can email help@galop.org.uk
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