Domestic abuse comes in many forms

By MAUREEN MCGUINNESS- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

There are many types of abuse in addition to physical violence, with the core issue being power and control. Types of abuse include:

* Coercion: making and or carrying out threats to do something to hurt a partner, including threatening to leave, threatening suicide, coercing someone to drop charges or coercing that person into doing illegal things.

* Intimidation: through looks, actions, gestures, smashing things, destroying property, abusing pets or displaying weapons.

* Emotional abuse: put downs, name-calling, playing mind games, humiliating her, or convincing her she's crazy.

* Isolation: controlling what she does; who she sees and talks to; what she reads; where she goes; and limiting her outside involvement and using jealousy to justify actions.

* Minimizing, denying and blaming: making light of abuse and not taking her concerns about it seriously. This includes saying the abuse didn't happen, shifting responsibility for abusive behavior, and saying the victim caused it.

* Using children: to make her feel guilty and to relay messages; using visitation to harass her; and threatening to take the children away.

* Using male privilege: treating her like a servant, making all of the big decisions, acting like the "master of the castle," and being the one to define men's and women's roles.

* Economic abuse: preventing her from getting or keeping a job, making her ask for money, giving her an allowance, taking her money, not letting her know about or have access to family income. (MM)

(08-05-99) [[In-content Ad]]