Is This Abuse?
What is Domestic Violence?
Domestic abuse is a pattern of hurtful behavior used by one person to systematically control and overpower the other. There are varying forms of domestic violence and though the causal nature may be the same, the manifestation of it can look different in various relationships. Below is a list of the most common forms of domestic violence. If any of this occurs in your relationship or that of someone you know, we encourage you to call Camden House so that we can assist in safety planning. No one deserves to be abused and victims are not responsible for the abuser's behavior.
Economic Abuse
Economic abuse is the purposeful controlling of resources to make the victim financially limited. It can include:
- Refusing to give you money for necessities
- Making you ask for money rather than allowing you continual access
- Forcing you to turn over money you've earned or spend it in a way that you disagree with
- Refusing to support your children
- Not letting you be involved in money decisions that affect you and/or your children
- Interfering with or preventing your opportunities for education, job training, and the ability to find and keep a job
- Interfering with your work performance through harassing activities, such as frequent phone calls or unannounced visits
- Stealing from you, defrauding your money or assets, and/or exploiting your financial resources or property
- Requiring you to use your credit in a way that you disagree with
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is the intentional use of physical force with the potential for causing death, disability, injury, or harm. It can include, but is not limited to:
- Pushing, hitting, choking, kicking, biting, cutting, burning, spitting, shaking, slapping, pinching, force-feeding
- Holding you down or preventing you from leaving the room
- Throwing objects at you
- Threatening you with a weapon
- Locking you in or out of the house
- Abandoning you in dangerous places
- Preventing you from getting sleep or waking you up out of sleep
- Denying help when you are sick, injured, or pregnant
- Endangering you by driving wildly or recklessly
Psychological Abuse
Psychological abuse is the use of verbal and non-verbal communication with the intent to harm another person mentally or emotionally, and/or to exert control over another person. It can include name-calling, humiliation, threats, coercive control, exploitation, and manipulation that makes you doubt your own memory or perception.
- Name-calling and putting you down
- Intentionally humiliating you or constantly criticizing you
- Threatening to take your children, hurt your family, or leave
- Limiting your access to transportation, money, friends, and family
- Excessively monitoring your whereabouts
- Presenting false information to make you doubt your own memory or perception
Sexual Abuse
Sexual violence is any sort of non-consensual sexual contact. It can include any of the following acts — whether merely attempted or fully completed — including when the victim is not entirely aware due to being intoxicated or drugged.
- Forcing you to have sex when you do not want to
- Unwanted exposure to sexual situations or pornography
- Verbal or behavioral sexual harassment
- Threatening sexual violence to accomplish some other end
- Unwanted filming or photographing
- Disseminating video or photographs of a sexual nature of another person
- Withholding sex and affection as control, or insisting on unwanted touching