Department
of Public Safety
University of Massachusetts Boston
Domestic Violence Definitions
Definitions of Abuse
Domestic Violence is often experienced as a combination of physical, sexual and or emotional abuse The following are some examples of the range of battering and abuse that can occur. This list includes examples of behaviors and actions that are violent and abusive.
Physical Abuse
- Pushes you
- Injuries you with slaps, kicks and punches
- Exposes you to risks, such as reckless driving
- Throws objects
- Threatens or injuries with a weapon
- Physically prevents you from leaving the house
- Locks you out of the house
- Abandons you in a dangerous place
- Refuses to help when sick, injured or pregnant
- Prevents you from seeking medical care
- Keeps you awake at night against you will
- Refuses to buy food or other articles necessary for the family
- Destroys your property
- Abuses the children
- Threatens to injure
your family or friends
Sexual Abuse
- Threats women as sex objects
- Withholds sex and affection
- Forces you to strip when you don't want to
- Commits cruel sexual acts
- Forces you to have sex against your will, rapes you
- Forces you to have sex after a beating
- Extremely jealous, accuses you of having affairs
- Forces you to watch and/or repeat pornographic acts
Emotional Abuse
- Continually criticizes you, yelling and/or insulting (e.g. telling you your is too fat, too skinny, too stupid, bad mother, bad partner, bad lover)
- Ignores your feelings
- Ridicules your most valued beliefs
- Denies you affection as punishment
- Refuses to work and share financial responsibilities
- Keeps you from working
- Manipulates you with lies and contradictions
- Insults family and friends to drive them away
- Refuses to socialize with you
- Prevents contact with family and friends
- Keeps you from using the telephone
- Controls the money and makes all financial decisions
- Humiliates you in public
- Harasses you at work
- Threatens to leave or throw you out of the house
- Threatens to kidnap the children
- Punishes or deprives the children
UMass
Boston, member of the Massachusetts Campus Watch
Tuesday, June 13, 2006 8:38
