Abuse is More Than Hitting…

Emotional Abuse: Name calling; Insulting; Humiliation; Criticizing; Blaming; Accusing; Questioning your sanity; Making fun of you; Making threats against you; your children; your pets; Intense jealousy; Destroying Property; Retaliation; Not letting you make important decisions; Forcing you to do something against your will; Isolating you from your friends or family; Not letting you leave the house; Not letting you work or go to school; Not letting you drive the car; Monitoring your activities; Saying you deserve your abuse; Threatening to kidnap the children if you leave; Threatening self-abuse or suicide if you don’t do what (s)he wants.

Sexual Abuse: Unwanted touching; Withholding or demanding sex; Forcing sex; Name-calling with sexual epithets; Incest; Marital Rape; Insisting on anything sexual that frightens or hurts you.

Economic Abuse: Refusing to work or be responsible for finances; Not allowing you access or title to family finances; Making you ask for money; Keeping you in poverty; Demanding an accounting of everything you buy; Not paying alimony or child support.

Physical Abuse: Pushing; Pinching; Slapping; Choking; Backing you into a corner; Pinning you down; Throwing Objects; Pulling your hair; Biting; Holding you captive; Breaking down a door to get to you; Preventing you from eating or sleeping; Locking you out of the house; Forcing your car off the road; Abandoning you in dangerous places; Beating; Kicking; Keeping you from getting medical care; Spitting on you; Breaking bones; Using a knife; gun or other weapon against you; Driving at unsafe speeds to intimidate you.