What is Abuse?

Safety Network Durham focuses on support for the two main types of gender-based violence:

Domestic violence is abusive behaviour of a verbal, physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and/or financial nature against a person, committed by their current or past intimate partner or family member.
Sexual violence is unwanted physical or verbal behaviour of a sexual nature against a person, committed by a current or past intimate partner, family member, friend, acquaintance, or stranger.

Power and Control
‍What abuse can look like

Using coercion and threats

Making and/or carrying out threats to do something to hurt her • Threatening to leave her, to commit suicide • Making her drop charges • Making her do illegal things

Using intimidation

Making her afraid by using looks, actions, gestures • Smashing things • Destroying her property • Abusing pets • Displaying weapons

Using emotional abuse

Putting her down • Making her feel bad about herself • Calling her names • Making her think she’s crazy • Playing mind games
• Humiliating her • Making her feel guilty

using isolation

Controlling what she does, who she see and talks to, what she reads, where she goes
• Limiting her outside involvement
• Using jealousy to justify actions

minimizing, denying and blaming

Making light of the abuse and not taking her concerns about it seriously • Saying the abuse didn’t happen • Shifting responsibility for abusive behaviour • Saying she caused it

Using Children

Making her feel guilty about the children
• using the children to relay messages
• using visitation to harass her • Threatening to take the children away

Using male privilege

Treating her like a servant • Making all the big decisions • Acting like the “master of the castle” • Being the one to define men’s and women’s roles

Using economic abuse

Preventing her from getting or keeping a job • Making her ask for money • Giving her an allowance • Taking her money • Not letting her know about or have access to family income

What is abuse?

Understanding gender-based violence

Power and Control
‍What abuse can look like

Using coercion and threats

Using intimidation

Using emotional abuse

using isolation

minimizing, denying and blaming

Using Children

Using male privilege

Using economic abuse

Additional Resources

What is abuse?

Understanding gender-based violence

Power and Control‍What abuse can look like

Using coercion and threats

Using intimidation

Using emotional abuse

using isolation

minimizing, denying and blaming

Using Children

Using male privilege

Using economic abuse

Additional Resources

Power and Control
‍What abuse can look like