What Is Domestic Abuse?

Domestic Abuse is the emotional, or verbal, or physical, or sexual abuse of a person within a close or intimate adult relationship.

Domestic abuse also includes social isolation, ridicule, intimidation, manipulation, financial control and deprivation.

Domestic abuse is not confined to marriage, but may occur in any type of close adult relationship including other partnerships, families or households.

Domestic abuse of a physical and sexual nature is a crime, which occurs in every class, income level, culture and educational background.

Domestic abuse is a pattern of power and control by one person over another, be it a boyfriend, girlfriend, partner, husband, wife or family members, it may include: physical, emotional, verbal, social, sexual or financial abuse.

Domestic abuse occurs in families from every financial, religious, cultural, and educational background.

Usually when the abuse starts, it gets worse as time goes on. It’s rarely a once off event.

There may be good times in the relationship, but tension builds up again and the abuse returns.

The abuser may say that they are sorry and promise to change, but the promise is broken again and again.

If the abuser accepts that they are doing something wrong, and they take action to change, there is a chance that the abuser may change their abusive behaviour.

While this is possible, it does not happen very often.