Recognizing and Escaping Domestic Violence: Signs, Safety Measures, and Escape Plans
<div style=' background:#FFFFFF;color:#000000;font-size:15px;font-family:Verdana;width:auto;padding:5px;max-height:100%;'><span><p>Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner.<br>Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, psychological, or technological actions or threats of actions or other patterns of coercive behavior that influence another person within an intimate partner relationship.<br>This type of abuse also includes denying a partner medical care or forcing alcohol and/or drug use upon him or her.<br>Sexual Abuse: Coercing or attempting to coerce any sexual contact or behavior without consent. Sexual abuse includes, but is certainly not limited to, marital rape, attacks on sexual parts of the body, forcing sex after physical violence has occurred, or treating one in a sexually demeaning manner.<br>Emotional Abuse: Undermining an individual's sense of self-worth and/or self-esteem is abusive.<br><br></p><span></div><div style=' background:#FFFFFF;color:#000000;font-size:15px;font-family:Verdana;width:auto;padding:5px;max-height:100%;'><span><p>Economic Abuse: Controlling or restraining a person's ability to acquire, use, or maintain economic resources to which they are entitled.<br>Psychological Abuse: Elements of psychological abuse include - but are not limited to - causing fear by intimidation; threatening physical harm to self, partner, children, or partner's family or friends; destruction of pets and property; and forcing isolation from family, friends, or school and/or work.<br>Technological Abuse: An act or pattern of behavior that is intended to harm, threaten, control, stalk, harass, impersonate, exploit, extort, or monitor another person that occurs using any form of technology, including but not limited to: internet enabled devices, online spaces and platforms, computers, mobile devices, cameras and imaging programs, apps, location tracking devices, or communication technologies, or any other emerging technologies.<br>SIGNS YOU ARE IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP<br><br>How can you tell whether your relationship is abusive? Fear of your partner is, in fact, a symptom that you are in an abusive relationship.<br>It's likely that you're in an abusive and unhealthy relationship if you feel like you have to continuously monitor what you say and say it so as not to annoy or disappoint your partner.<br>Your partner may also try to dominate or demean you as other indications of an abusive relationship. It's possible that you'll feel hopeless, impotent, and self-hating.<br><br><br></p><span></div><div style=' background:#FFFFFF;color:#000000;font-size:15px;font-family:Verdana;width:auto;padding:5px;max-height:100%;'><span><p>To determine whether you are in an unhealthy and abusive relationship, consider the following questions. You are more likely to be in an abusive relationship if you check yes to more questions.<br>Are you a victim of domestic violence?<br>Do you: Believe your lover needs more from you than you do?<br>Feel powerless in your partner's presence?<br>Avoid discussing some subjects with your partner out of fear of upsetting them?<br>Do you generally feel fearful of your partner?<br>Is your spouse disparaging you?<br>Does your partner: Call you names and make fun of you?<br>Treat you poorly and cause you to feel ashamed in front of your loved ones?<br>Put you down and make fun of you?<br>Consider you to be more of a sex object than a romantic partner?<br>ignore your accomplishments and opinions?<br>Do they act in an aggressive or threatening manner?<br>Does your partner make threats to harm you or even to have you killed?<br>threatened to kill themselves if you said you were leaving them?<br>possess a volatile and short temper?<br>imply a threat to harm your kids?<br>defending yourself against abuse<br>You can defend your life from a potentially hazardous circumstance by using these straightforward safety measures.<br>Getting ready for emergencies<br>Recognise safe spaces in your home and seek refuge there whenever your abusive partner confronts you or initiates a fight.<br>Avoid small, enclosed locations like your bathroom or closet as well as rooms with weapons (such as your kitchen).<br>If at all feasible, seek refuge in a space with a phone, a back door, or a window so that you can quickly call for help or flee if things get out of hand.<br><br>Decide on a code phrase.<br>Create a term, phrase, or signal that you can use to alert your children, family, friends, and even coworkers to the danger you are in and the urgent need for them to call the police.<br>Be alert for any warning signs. Determine what makes people angry with you or prone to violence. Once you've recognised these warning signs, think of some plausible excuses for why you need to leave your house temporarily—without telling anyone the real reason, of course—so that you can get out of a potentially harmful or abusive situation.<br><br>your Escape plan<br>Maintain a full tank of petrol in your car, park it on the driveway with the road facing and remember to unlock the driver's door. If you have an extra key, keep it hidden in a location that is simple to find.<br><br></p><span></div><div style=' background:#FFFFFF;color:#000000;font-size:15px;font-family:Verdana;width:auto;padding:5px;max-height:100%;'><span><p>Likewise, keep some additional money, some clothes, emergency contact information, and vital papers tucked away in a secure location (such as at a friend's house).<br>Memorize the numbers of emergency contacts<br>If you need assistance locating a place to stay, a ride, or assistance contacting the authorities, ask several reliable people if they can put you in touch with them.<br><br>If you can, memorise the phone numbers of these individuals as well as any nearby domestic violence offices, emergency hotlines, and shelters.<br><br>Trying to hide your tracks<br>You might be thinking about exiting the relationship or getting support from a reliable source, but you decide against it out of fear that your abuser will become enraged, track you down, and retaliate. It makes sense that way. But even if your abuser learns what you're doing, there are certain precautionary actions you can take to keep yourself safe.<br>Protecting your privacy is a must when looking for abuse and domestic violence support, especially if you're using a phone or computer that your partner has access to.<br><br><br></p><span></div>
