What Forms Can Domestic Violence Take?

There are different forms of sexual violence. For instance, sexual violence can be when he forces his partner to engage in sexual activity with him or others or when he refuses to use protection with his partner to prevent an unwanted pregnancy or sharing a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) or a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI).

Sexual violence can also be sharing intimate and private photos without the consent of the person photographed.

Physical violence is when a person has physical contact with your body, either directly with a part of their body, like a hand or a foot, or with an object that is being used as a weapon.

Examples of physical violence are pinching, kicking, spitting, punching, shoving, shaking, flicking, pulling her hair, scratching, biting, slapping and choking.

Emotional violence can be verbal or non-verbal. For instance, it can be yelling, name-calling, shaming, blaming and intimidation or threatening to have her deported or making threats against her child, a pet or a loved one.

An example of non-verbal emotional violence is ignoring your partner when she is around you. Isolation is another form of emotional violence, which is when he separates his partner from her family, friends and loved ones. This form of violence can be even more dangerous if her family is back home in another city or country.

Financial violence happens when he does not allow his partner to have access to her own money, by either forbidding her to work or controlling her access to their bank account. This leaves her vulnerable and means she has to rely on him for money, which is abusive behaviour.

Spiritual violence is manipulating someone’s spiritual or religious beliefs to justify the use of violent, harmful or controlling behaviour against them.

Cyber violence happens when he uses a phone, a computer or social media to monitor his partner or her loved ones.

Cyber violence can also happen with smart home devices, like smart lights and speakers. These are in-home devices that can be controlled from different locations, usually with a phone through an application.

Indirect stalking is also a form of violence. If you ask or suggest that someone follows her in person or online to tell you where she was, what she was doing and who she was with, that is abusive behaviour, even if she knows the person.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is when all or a part of a girl's or woman’s external genitalia are pierced, cut, removed or sewed closed for no reason related to her health, her wellness or a medical emergency. FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women and it is an extreme form of discrimination against women.

Neglect is when she is unable to access the necessities of life, like food, water or life-saving medication or treatment.