Let’s raise domestic abuse awareness by listing some forms of domestic abuse.
Love is one of the most powerful emotions in humans. It can be both a blessing and a curse when people misuse love. Relationships are quite common in today’s society, but marriages are becoming infrequent.
When couples decide to take the plunge, they hope that their relationships will last. Some want their marriages to last for eternity, or at least until death do them part. However, this is not always what happens. Marriages break up and divorces happen.
An unfortunate factor that promotes divorce and relationship breakdown is abuse. Domestic abuse between husband and wife leads to divorce and signals the end of many relationships. If you are looking for signs of an abusive spouse, then you must know what abuse looks like.
What does Domestic Abuse Mean?
Domestic abuse is any type of ill-treatment against an intimate partner. Such as beating, use of cutting remarks, and/or ordering them to do something against their wishes. This results in physical or emotional harm.
Domestic abuse is a long problem. Interestingly, the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine measures saw domestic abuse cases rising.
What can domestic abuse include? Domestic abuse in relationships has many facets. It can be the way a partner uses their words to hurt, sexual, emotional, mental, or physical.
Around the world, with every passing minute, someone is abusing their significant other. While men face forms of abuse from time to time. Women are the most common victims of domestic abuse by an intimate partner. Unfortunately, in many cases, the intimate partner kills the woman. A crime that happens, too often, in almost all countries.
Know the Signs of Domestic Abuse
We all must be able to identify domestic abuse and raise awareness. Being able to identify domestic abuse will help point out abusers when they meet the signs. Below are some forms of domestic abuse.
Verbal Abuse
The strain of verbal abuse in relationships often leads to physical violence. The more you say, the worse it gets- and this is not just because people don’t like hearing bad things said about them. Verbal abuse goes from yelling, being called false names, indecent language hurled at you, and more.
With this form of domestic abuse, the abuser aims to intimidate, scare, and insult the victim with words. They use the gift of speech to control undermine their intimate partner. Verbal abuse without respite is extremely hurtful. It is a painful tactic that can take its toll over time. The victim can develop low self-esteem, depression, and much more.
Emotional Domestic Abuse
Emotional abuse in relationships is a topic that many people are familiar with. However, it’s often misunderstood. It can have lasting effects on those involved long after the relationship has ended.
Emotional abuse occurs when one person in a relationship tries to isolate and control another. The actions can take many forms. An emotional abuser may use intimidating gestures and comments. They will attempt to scare the victim into compliance with whatever request is being made of them.
Mental Abuse
Domestic abuse affects mental health. A relationship can be a beautiful thing, but it’s also full of ups and downs. The good moments together do not always make up for all the bad times in-between. Good times are often short-lived when one partner starts being abusive towards the other.
Abusive actions make them feel like they’re not worth anything or loved anymore. It is a painful tactic that can take its toll over time. The victim can develop low self-esteem, depression, stress, and much more. Our mental stability is beyond important. Hence, mental abuse is a blatant way to undermine our mental stability.
Sexual Abuse in Relationships
The majority of victims of sexual abuse are women and children. One may think that being in a relationship reduces the chances of sexual violence. However, sexual abuse can happen in relationships between intimate partners. It can even happen in the confinement of marriages.
However, some may not be aware they’re in an abusive sexual relationship. Abusive sexual behavior in relationships includes harassment, forceful penetration, and all forms of rape. As well as sexual exploitation and being forced to engage in any kind of unsolicited and unwanted sexual activities.
Physical Abuse and Domestic Violence
The aforementioned forms of domestic abuse are a precursor to physical violence and domestic assaults. Physical abuse in relationships is a huge issue that many people don’t realize can happen. Batterers will typically use physical violence to get their way. Victims will face the threat of more extreme acts of physical abuse like assault or murder.
Violent domestic abusers use threats and physical abuse to keep their partner subservient. Abusers with narcissistic personality disorder will aim to control their victims. Controlling who they communicate with, what they do, and so forth.
Any form of physical injury and battery in a relationship is a severe kind of domestic abuse. Domestic assault is the way many people (especially women) lost their lives. No one should be treated poorly because they refused the demand of an aggressor.
Can Domestic Violence Stop in a Relationship?
It’s not easy or realistic for a relationship to recover from domestic violence. Some use couples therapy as a resolution for domestic abuse. For open-minded persons and an abuser that is willing to change, this can work. Some couples have successfully resolved their differences and relationship issues with therapy. But couple therapy is more effective if couples undergo it from the onset of any sign of domestic abuse.
What to do if You are in a Domestic Abusive Relationship?
If you are in any form of domestic abuse, seek help before matters reach the boiling point. Even, if help means taking criminal action against the abuser. Find facilities that provide domestic abuse counseling near you and talk to someone.
Go as fast as you can to a domestic abuse shelter. Do not let domestic abuse battery and assault rob you of your mental wellness, emotional happiness, physical well-being, or life. Take action and find a domestic abuse hotline number in your jurisdiction.
