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Everyone’s experience is unique, and the process of seeking support varies for each individual.
What is Relationship Violence?
Relationship violence is any form of harm, including physical abuse, stalking, sexual violence, psychological or emotional abuse, and financial abuse by a current or past partner(s) or other interpersonal relationships.
Relationship violence can happen to anyone. It can take place in private or public spaces and between people of different or the same gender identities. Relationship violence can also be called domestic violence, domestic abuse, spousal abuse, intimate partner violence (IPV), dating violence, or family violence.
Relationship violence can occur in various kinds of personal relationships, such as spouses, partners, or people who are or were dating or hooking up. It can also occur with roommates, friendships, or casual relationships.
Who Does it Affect
Relationship violence poses significant global public health challenges, impacting millions worldwide. Its consequences are profound, spanning immediate health risks such as injuries and trauma to long-term effects on mental health, social well-being, and economic stability.
While most reported incidences happen in relationships that impact women, relationship violence does not discriminate based on gender and anyone can experience abuse regardless of their gender identity. It is important to recognize that relationship violence can happen to anyone and in any form of relationship.
Types of Harms
Harm in the context of relationship violence is not limited to physical or sexual abuse. It can encompass a wide array of behaviours where one person seeks to dominate or control the other through intimidation, fear, manipulation, or coercion. Relationship violence may include the following types of harm:
- Physical harm: punching, hitting, slapping, shoving, throwing objects, restraining a partner against their will, or anything else that harms the partner physically or makes them feel physically unsafe
- Stalking: repeated following or contacting a person in a way that makes them fear for their personal safety or the safety of others (family, friends, or pets)
- Sexual violence: any sexual act or any act targeting a person’s sexuality, gender identity or gender expression that is committed, threatened, or attempted against a person without the person’s consent
- Emotional/verbal abuse: using words or actions to control, frighten, or isolate someone or take away their self-respect
- Financial abuse: controlling or misusing a partner’s finances (money, assets, or property), making the partner account for every penny, not permitting the partner to work or have their own income, making all the financial decisions
- Spiritual abuse: using a partner’s spiritual beliefs to manipulate, dominate or control them
- Reproductive abuse: controlling reproductive choices, pregnancy outcomes, and/or access to health services
- Cyberviolence / Digital Violence: using technology to establish power and control by causing fear and/or intimidation, monitoring the partner’s social media profiles or emails, sending harassing messages through social media, texts, or emails, sharing intimate photos or videos without the partner’s consent, using GPS locators or spyware to track a partner’s activities
Warning signs
Although each situation and relationship are unique, there are similarities among abusive relationships. The following list may help you to recognize if you, or someone you know, is in an abusive relationship. Some warning signs of an abusive relationship could be:
- Checking your phone, email, or social media accounts without your permission
- Isolating you from friends or family
- Being extremely jealous or insecure, or demonstrating possessive or controlling behaviour
- Having explosive outburst, temper, or mood swings
- Physically harming you in any way
- Inquiring constantly about where you are going and who you are with
- Threatening to hurt you, your family members, or pets
- Pressuring you to have sex with them or other people
- Calling you derogatory names to reduce your self-esteem
- Limiting your access to financial resources and requiring you to get permission about any financial decisions
- Using emotional or verbal coercion tactics such as gaslighting, guilt-tripping, criticizing, love bombing, and lying to control you
