General Article Types of domestic abuse

Topic Selected: Domestic Abuse
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Emotional or psychological abuse

Emotional or psychological abuse can be verbal or non-verbal. Its aim is to chip away at the confidence and independence of victims with the intention of making them compliant and limiting their ability to leave. Emotional abuse includes verbal abuse such as yelling, name-calling, blaming and shaming, isolation, intimidation, threats of violence and controlling behaviour.

Many abused women define the psychological effects of domestic abuse as having a ‘more profound’ effect on their lives – even where there has been life-threatening or disabling physical violence. Despite this, there is almost always pressure to define domestic abuse in terms of actual, or threatened, physical violence.

Physical abuse

There are a broad range of behaviours that come under the heading of physical abuse, including actions such as punching, slapping, hitting, biting, pinching, kicking, pulling hair out, pushing, shoving, burning and strangling. It should be noted tha...

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