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What is abuse? Generally speaking, abuse is any behaviour
that results in the mistreatment of another. There are five major kinds of abuse:
In a new relationship,there are some warning signs to watch for:
warning signs
Physical
destroying your belongings
throwing objects at you
touching you in ways that hurt or scare you
depriving you of food, shelter, money or clothing
causing a miscarriage or injuries that require medical attention
threatening you with weapons
slapping, hitting, choking, punching, pushing
restraining
spitting, biting
burning
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Emotional
taunting you in the name of fun
ignoring you and / or your feelings
yelling at you, telling you that you will fail
threatening to abuse you, your children, or pets
blaming you for things that go wrong or for his faults
labeling you as crazy, stupid, bitch, ugly or a whore
disrespect: swearing, interrupting, not listening, twisting your words
lying: withholding information, cheating on you
blaming you for everything
threatening suicide
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Sexual
talking about you or others as sexual objects
forcing you to have sex, including sex after a beating
criticizing your sexual performance
accusing you of looking at, talking to, or having sex with another
person
withholding affection to punish you
being overly jealous
forcing sexual acts you are not comfortable with
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Social
insulting you publicly
controlling your use of money
devaluing your abilities as a wife, mother, lover or worker
checking up on you, taping your conversations, stalking
isolating your from friends or activities
spending paychecks without meeting obligations
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Spiritual
discounting your sense of right and wrong
denying, minimizing or ridiculing your spiritual beliefs
denying your value as a person with legitimate wants and likes
questioning your sense of reality
refusing to allow you access to worship communities or support groups
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Warning Signs to Watch for in a relationship
he comes on as a real charmer and loves you instantly
he has problems with authority figures
he embarrasses you in the presence of others
he is nasty on the road - feels other drivers are competing with him
he is competitive and must always win
his promises and apologies are meaningless
he is rough at times, love pats become more and more painful. Suddenly,
you realize he is a serious abuser and you are a victim
jealousy
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REMEMBER
The children ARE being hurt
You are NOT ALONE
Abuse is NEVER OK
NO ONE DESERVES to be abused
It WON'T just go away
THERE IS HELP
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