Types of Domestic Violence
Domestic violence can affect any couple. It occurs in same sex and heterosexual marriages, in households of all socioeconomic levels, and among individuals of all racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. Women can abuse their male partners just as easily as men can abuse female partners.
Domestic violence also comes in many forms. Not all instances of abuse involve physical violence – in some cases, it involves emotionally tearing down the victim’s self esteem or using access to funds to control his or her actions. By understanding the many ways an individual can abuse a partner, you can become better equipped to recognize domestic violence if it is happening in your home and take action to leave the marriage.
Physical
Examples of physical violence include:
- Hitting;
- Shoving;
- Kicking;
- Using a weapon to inflict physical pain on a victim;
- Forcing the victim to consume drugs or alcohol;
- Witholding medical care; and
- Keeping the victim from accessing food or clean water.
Sexual
Unwanted sexual contact is just one form of sexual abuse. Others include:
- Exposing the victim to pornography without his or her consent;
- Recording the victim engaged in sexual activity without his or her consent; and
- Reproductive coercion, which is the manipulation of reproductive agency to control a victim. This can mean tampering with the victim’s birth control, lying about the use of birth control, or coercing a pregnant woman into aborting a wanted pregnancy.
Financial
Money and access to finances can be used to control a victim. This is known as financial abuse, and can take the following forms:
- Prohibiting the victim from holding a job;
- Making all of the household’s financial decisions without the victim’s input;
- Tracking the victim’s spending and criticizing his or her purchases; and
- Requiring the victim to turn over all of his or her paychecks or requiring the victim to work for free for the abuser’s business.
Emotional
Emotional abuse is the use of emotional manipulation to control a victim. It can include:
- Withholding affection as a means of control;
- Threatening the victim’s relationship with his or her family;
- Destroying or threatening the victim’s personal possessions or pets;
- Belittling the victim and calling him or her offensive names; and
- Blaming the victim for all the problems in the relationship.
Psychological
At first glance, the concept of psychological abuse can seem quite similar to emotional abuse. They can, and often do, occur together.
Psychological abuse is the mistreatment of another individual that causes him or her to suffer anxiety, depression, or psychological trauma. Examples of psychological abuse include:
- Gaslighting;
- Insulting the victim;
- Isolating the victim from others and excluding him or her from decision-making and social interaction; and
- Undermining the victim’s sense of self worth by questioning his or her abilities and denying his or her agency.
Draper Law Office can Help you Exit your Abusive Marriage
Domestic violence is never acceptable. If you are facing one or more of the types of abuse discussed above in your marriage, get yourself to a safe place and then contact an experienced divorce lawyer to discuss ending the marriage. Contact our team at Draper Law Office online or by calling 866-767-4711 today to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation in one of our two office locations: Orlando, and Kissimmee.
