Types of inter-partner violence/abuse
Should you find yourself in any of the situations below, you may be in an unhealthy relationship. If it becomes life-threatening, call 112 immediately and ask for help, or 0800 500 333 – the free 24/7 national line.
Physical violence occurs when your partner:
- Breaks things when he is angry (throws, smashes, hits objects, etc.)
- Pushes, shoves, slaps, bites, hits, strangles, burn you, etc.
- Abandons you in a dangerous or unfamiliar place and you have to come back home on your own
- Scares you by driving aggressively and/or imprudently
- Threatens or hurts you with weapons
- Makes you leave the house
- Hurts your children
- Uses physical force in sexual situations, forces you into sexual intercourse
- Locks you inside the house, prevents you to leave by deprivation of liberty
- Prevents you from calling the Police or seeking for medical care.
Sexual violence is (when your partner):
- Any forceful sexual act, without your consent
- Verbal advances, allusions, gestures, touches (repeated and non-reciprocal)
- Sees women as objects and has rigid ideas about the roles of each gender
- Wants you to always dress provocatively
- Insults you, makes sexual jokes
- Forces or manipulates you into having sex with him
- Prevents you from moving during sex
- Wants you to have sex when you are ill, tired or after he hit/hurt you
- Hurts you with weapons or other objects during sexual intercourse
- Involves other people in your sexual activities against your will
- Makes/manipulates you into prostitution, “for the family’s sake”
- Ignores your feelings regarding sex
- Marital rape
Emotional or psychological violence occurs when your partner:
- Follows you
- Curses, insults, criticizes, ridicules you
- Controls you (the way you dress, who you see/talk to)
- Monitors your going out, your calls and the people you see
- Does not trust you and is very jealous or possessive
- Tries to isolate you from family and/or friends
- Humiliates you in front of his friends
- Punishes you by withdrawing his affection
- Expects you to ask his permission for anything you want to do
- Threatens to hurt you, your children, family, pets
- Humiliates you in any way, mocks you
- Accuses you of cheating
- Is jealous towards the people you talk to
- Yells at you
- Criticizes you
- Harasses you
Economic or financial violence occurs when your partner:
- Forbids you to work
- Excludes you from decisions regarding money
- Always tells you he will take care of you and there is no need for you to work
- Gives you a limited amount of money every months and gets angry when you need money for justified emergencies
- Makes you humiliate yourself to receive a small amount of money
- Humiliates you in front of his friends
- Holds you responsible for any amount of money you spend, sometimes degenerating into physical violence
- Does not allow you to work, to find a job
- Controls the couple’s income, refuses to share money with you
- Deprives you of basic necessities (food, medicine, etc.)
- Forbids you to own/use joint goods, unequally controls joint goods and resources, refuses to support the family, enforces heavy and harmful works detrimental to your health, including on an underage family member, as well as other similar acts.
Sexual violence occurs when your partner:
- Isolates you from your family, friends, the community
- Forbids you to go to certain places
- Intentionally deprives you of access to information
- Constantly controls you
- Makes you ask for/get permission before you go out
Spiritual violence occurs when your partner:
- Does not allow you to practice your religious beliefs or traditions
- Forces you to observe other religions or religious practices
- Discredits, mocks, offends your spiritual/religious faith, practices
- Uses your faith and religious practices to manipulate, dominate, control you
- Forces you to do things which are prohibited in your religion or faith
