Domestic Violence

WHAT IS DOMESTIC ABUSE?

Does your partner intimidate you?

Does your partner: make you afraid by using looks, actions, or gestures; smashing things; destroying your property; abusing pets; or displaying weapons.

Is your partner emotionally abusive?

Does your partner: put you down; make you feel bad about yourself; call you names; make you think you’re crazy; play mind games; humiliate you; make you feel guilty, on a reoccurring basis?

Does your partner isolate you?

Does your partner: control what you do, who you see, and talk to; control what you read and where you go; limit your outside involvement; use jealousy to justify actions?

Does your partner “minimize, deny, and blame?”

Does your partner: make light of the abuse and not take your concerns seriously; say the abuse didn’t happen; shift responsibility for abusive behavior; say you caused it?

Does your partner use your children?

Does your partner make you feel guilty about the children; use the children to relay messages; use visitation to harass you; threaten to take the children away?

Does your partner have a sexist attitude?

Does your partner: treat you like a servant; make all the big decisions without you; define men’s and women’s roles?

Is your partner “economically abusive?”

Does your partner: prevent you from getting or keeping a job; make you ask for money; give you an allowance; take your money; not let you know about or have access to family income?

Does your partner use coercion and threats?

Does your partner: make and/or carry out threats to do something to hurt you; threaten to leave you, to commit suicide, to report you to welfare; make you drop charges, make you do illegal things?