When the discussion of domestic abuse arises, most people assume that abuse is only physical. However, abuse – the mistreatment of others – comes in many forms, leaving the victims with emotional and psychological scars as well as weakened faith.

In the large spectrum of different types of abuse, here are five major forms of abuse that occur in an intimate relationship.

Physical Abuse

Let’s start with the most known form of abuse. Physical abuse is any act that causes injury or trauma by way of bodily contact. This includes but not limited to the following:

  • Assault, hitting, slapping, punching, kicking, hair-pulling, biting, pushing, rough handling, scalding or burning the victim.
  • Making the victim physically uncomfortable on purpose and unlawful use of restraint; tying someone to a chair.
  • Isolating and confining the victim involuntarily.
  • Misuse of Medication: over-dosing or depriving a person of crucial medication.
  • Abuse of Food: with-holding food from victim or force-feeding them.

Emotional/ Verbal/Psychological Abuse

Not all types of abuse leave visible scarring but can still be as damaging as physical abuse. The second type of abuse is a combination of three different types that generally tend to overlap: emotional, verbal, and psychological. This type of abuse is subjecting the victim to behaviour that can result in psychological trauma. The following are some behaviours that fall under emotional, verbal and psychological abuse:

  • Constant Criticism/ Pointing out mistakes
  • Threats
  • Spiteful Comments
  • Shaming/Belittling
  • Labelling
  • Scapegoating
  • Sarcasm / Snide remarks
  • Gaslighting
  • Silent Treatment

Financial Abuse

Commonly overlooked, this form of abuse takes place when a person has control over their victim’s monetary resources, forcing them to depend fully on their partner as they have no means to support themselves. Here are some ways that the abuser may exercise financial abuse:

  • Controlling use/access to money earned or saved by the victim.
  • Using the victim’s assets for personal gain without permission.
  • Taking money or using credit cards without permission.
  • Ruining the victim’s credit history.
  • Forgoing bill payments after claiming to do so; expecting the victim to fulfil their bills or card payments.
  • Feeling entitled to the victim’s money or assets.
  • Demanding that the victim turn over their paycheck, passwords, and credit cards.

Sexual Abuse

Sexual Abuse is any physical or psychological violence that is carried out through sexual means. This form of abuse is so common that 1 in 3 Canadian women experience sexual violence in their lifetime (https://www.ontario.ca/page/sexual-violence). Some more common forms of sexual abuse are:

  • Rape
  • Unwanted sexual contact
  • Demanding Sex
  • Withholding Sex
  • Physical attacks against the sexual parts of the partner’s body
  • Interference with birth control
  • Accusations of Infidelity

Spiritual Abuse

Taking one’s faith and distorting it to exert power over another is known as spiritual abuse. Spiritual abuse is not limited to any one religion, spanning across the world. Here are some tactics used by the abuser using spiritual abuse to manipulate their victim:

  • Shame, make fun of, or ridicule the victim’s religious beliefs or practices.
  • Prevent the victim from practicing their religion in the way they would like.
  • Use the victim’s beliefs to manipulate or bully the victim.
  • Demand that their children be raised with/without a certain religion.
  • Use religious texts or beliefs to justify other kinds of abuse (physical, sexual, financial, etc.).

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of abuse, contact the authorities immediately. If you are a victim of any of these forms of abuses and are seeking assistance, contact Nisa Homes at [email protected] or call us at +1 (888) 456-8043. You can also apply on our website at https://nisahomes.com/apply. 

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