Domestic Violence
3. Types of Domestic Violence
Authors: Staff Legal Eagle
Firm / Chambers:
Last updated: 20 Jul 2015
- Domestic or family violence can include any behaviour by someone in an intimate relationship that causes another person in the relationship to feel apprehension (fear) for his or her own safety, the safety of a loved one or the safety of his or her belongings.
- A victim may be too scared to tell anyone about a pattern of abuse for fear of what might happen next.
- For children witnessing family violence the fear of watching or knowing that a parent is being assaulted can be more terrifying than being assaulted themselves.
- Fear is often used by a perpetrator of family violence to assert power and control over their victim.
- Acts of intimidation can include overt acts of violence against objects such as the destruction of property and particularly items with a strong personal value to the victim. Intimidation can include displaying or handling weapons in a manner that suggests they may be used or simply makes the victim aware of their implicit threat. It can also include:
- bullying behaviour such as aggressive questioning;
- hostile body language;
- stalking; and
- harassment.
- Verbal abuse is using words as weapons to hurt the victim and can often be more damaging than physical abuse. However since it is generally invisible outside the family it risks being taken less seriously.
- Physical abuse is what traditionally constituted domestic violence and includes any act of physical aggression. It can range from pushing and shoving to severe beatings causing grievous bodily harm. Sleep deprivation or denial of food is also a form of physical abuse.
- Psychological abuse is behaviour that is ‘crazy-making.’ It may be that the perpetrator refuses to admit or acknowledge the existence of any aspect of violent behaviour. They may build a solid and respectable reputation outside the home and convince their victim that any disclosure will never be believed. The victim may be left feeling that they are exaggerating, making it up or there is something wrong with them that is causing the violence to happen.
- Emotional abuse makes the victim feel like everything they are going through is their fault. It includes deliberately undermining the victim’s confidence, self-esteem and self-worth to the point where they come to accept the perpetrator’s opinion. It can extend to acts of humiliation and degradation.
- The perpetrator may exercise power and control over the victim by shutting them off from social contact and support networks or removing them from family and friends. This may be done physically by relocating the family often or to remote locations or emotionally by making it too embarrassing or humiliating for the victim to explain what is going on at home.
- Financial abuse usually occurs where the perpetrator controls the purse strings forcing the victim to account for every cent that is spent. For example a wife who is totally reliant on her husband’s income may be given only a small monthly allowance and forced to provide for herself, the children and the household out of this inadequate resource.
- Financial abuse can continue after separation if the perpetrator refuses to provide adequate support to their family.
- Sexual abuse includes any unwanted sexual advances from pressure to have sex to rape. It encompasses any sexual act that is not mutually enjoyable and consensual.
- Controlling behaviours involve the perpetrator exercising extreme power and control over the victim. It can range from bossing the victim around to a suffocating denial of any independent action or thought.
- Even leaving an abusive relationship may not put the victim in a place of safety. The domestic violence that occurs when the perpetrator realises he is losing control over the victim is likely to be more unpredictable and often more harmful.
- These types of violence may occur singly or in combination but they are all unacceptable criminal offences.
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