About Domestic Violence

Dating and domestic violence can occur in all kinds of relationships including spousal, intimate, family, and past relationships.

In relationships where dating and domestic violence occurs, violent behaviors can include:

  • physical abuse (including slapping, hitting, punching, pushing, biting, kicking)
  • threatening to hurt you, your relatives, friends or work colleagues in some way damaging property such as furniture, the house or pets in order to frighten and intimidate you
  • emotional abuse (making you feel worthless, criticizing your personality, your looks, the way you dress, constantly putting you down, threatening to hurt you, your children or your pets)
    verbal abuse (including yelling, shouting, name-calling, and swearing at you)
  • sexual abuse (forcing or pressuring you to have sex or participate in any sexual activities against your will)
  • financial abuse (taking control of the money, not giving you enough money to survive, forcing you to hand over your money, not letting you have any authority over how it is spent)
  • threatening to stop providing care for you if you don’t do what you are told (This sometimes happens to people with an illness, disability or impairment who rely on another person to care for them)
  • social abuse (controlling where you go, not letting you see your friends or family)
  • depriving you of basic needs such as food, shelter, medical care and the company of other people such as your family and friends
  • spiritual abuse (forcing you to attend religious activities against your wishes, prohibiting you from participating in the religious practices of your choice)
  • stalking (constantly following you by foot or car, constantly calling you by phone, text message and email, or staying outside your house or workplace)
  • Or anything else that upsets you or makes you feel threatened

Different Kinds of Violence