Young Peoples Pages

Domestic abuse (also called domestic violence) takes place when one person behaves aggressively towards another person they are or were in an intimate relationship with. It can happen in many different relationships. It can happen between people who are married or going out together, between people who are living together or living separately. Most commonly (but not always) it is the man who is the abuser and the woman who gets hurt.

While domestic abuse happens most commonly between adults, the children and young people in the family can also be affected by the abuse they witness and sometimes they too can be physically hurt and bullied.

Young people can also experience abuse in their own relationship with their boy/girlfriend.

Domestic abuse can involve several different types of abuse such as:

• Physical
• Emotional/verbal
• Sexual
• Financial

Physical abuse includes:

• being pushed, punched, slapped, kicked, stabbed, beaten  with an object or weapon
• being spat and urinated on
• being bitten, pulled by the hair, burnt or scalded
• being threatened with physical abuse
• things being smashed or thrown

Emotional/verbal abuse includes:

• name calling and constantly being put down
• being shouted at or criticised
• being accused of being unfaithful
• being stalked or harassed
• phone calls, text messages and emails being checked
• being isolated from family and friends
• being threatened
• making threats to harm themselves or someone else

Sexual abuse includes:

• being raped
• being forced to take part in sexual acts against your will
• being forced to watch and/or use pornography or other sexual aids

Financial abuse includes:

• having no control over the money in the household
• being forced to provide receipts for what money is spent
• being forced to hand over all the money
• being denied money for essentials
• not being allowed to work