WHAT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?

Domestic violence is a pattern of escalating abusive and violent
behavior in an intimate relationship. The violence and abuse can
take many forms, from verbal abuse to physical violence, sexual
abuse, economic control, isolating the victim from family and
friends, intimidation, stalking, damaging property, or threatening
to harm the victim’s family members, children or pets. Abusers
will sometimes threaten to harm themselves as a way of making victims feel guilty. The abuse can happen on a regular basis, or only sporadically.

The term domestic violence is usually understood to mean violence between spouses or unmarried intimate partners, whether or not they live together. Domestic violence occurs across all cultures, races, professions, religious groups and socio-economic classes. It happens to both men and women, although women are victimized in far greater numbers than men. It occurs in both same-sex and opposite-sex relationships.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS?

Though every situation is different, the following types of behavior by an intimate partner are signs of an abusive relationship:

• Is extremely jealous or possessive
• Controls your finances, what you wear, where you go, and who you see
• Demands that you turn over your paycheck to him/her
• Tells you that nothing you do is worthwhile
• Tells you that you will never amount to anything and no one else would want you
• Constantly belittles you for the way you look
• Tries to control your spiritual or religious life; humiliates you for your beliefs
• Is violent; has a history of harming household members, including pets
• Has hit, pushed, choked, restrained, kicked, slapped or otherwise struck you
• Threatens to kill you or commit suicide
• Pressures you to have sex, take drugs or drink alcohol
• Blames you for his/her bad behavior, accuses you of causing it
• Destroys your property
• Threatens to "out" you if you are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender
• If you are an immigrant, threatens to have you deported

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