Types of Domestic Violence
You do not have to be physically hurt to be abused, nor is it ever too late to seek assistance. This means that domestic violence can be categorised into several forms. Let’s take a look at the different types of domestic violence.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse includes direct harm against a person, their child, pet or property and includes hitting, slapping, punching, choking, being thrown against a wall, being hit with objects or injured by weapons.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is any type of forced or unwanted sexual behaviour between adults.
Emotional/Psychological Abuse
Similar to verbal abuse, emotional or psychological abuse can leave a person feeling that the relationship problems are their fault.
Verbal Abuse
Verbal abuse is the use of critical or insulting language or continual put-downs, threats or criticisms.
Financial Abuse
Financial abuse involves the unequal control of money in a relationship, by making a person dependent upon the perpetrator for money, taking a person’s money or threatening a person for money.
Social Abuse
Social abuse is when the victim is denied contact with friends or family who may be able to offer support. Some victims are also made to account for everything they do and everywhere they go.
Do you know any other types of domestic violence or abuse?
I think there are what might be called sub-categories, or may even warrant their own category. Probably coming under Emotional/Psychological Abuse, but relating to Sexual Abuse, is where someone is humiliated or put-down verbally about sexual attitudes or behaviours. Examples are when a man might be insecure about his own sexual performance, and due to his fear of failure continually accuses his partner of being a nyphomaniac. Another is making your partner feel inadequate if they don’t like participating in certain sexual practices which might be considered perverted. These things can not only be damaging emotionally and psychologically in general, but can cause feelings of sexual shame, violation, inadequacy, fear of initiating sex and more.
Another one probably coming under the category of Social Abuse, again possibly warranting it’s own category of Religious Abuse, is where religious fanaticism is forced on a child or partner, and fanatical and extreme behaviours and practices are regularly imposed on another that result in a threat to that person’s emotional & physical well-being. The most extreme examples of this can be found in the practices of cults, but can occur in relation to any type of religious beliefs and practices. Examples – children being forced to attend church and spend so many hours praying that they become sleep-deprived and physically unhealthy; beatings in the name of religious redemption or exorcism; new age beliefs imposed on children involving obtaining of nourishment from the sun or air, resulting in malnutrition or even death; taking children on door-to-door missionary work where the hours worked and distance travelled on foot is more representative of child labour practices and the physical and/or emotional health and wellbeing of the child is compromised or damaged. Children in this situation can also be exposed to abusive reactions from members of the public. Any of these practices mentioned can also be abusive to other adults if they are not participating of their own free will.