Abuse can be physical, sexual, financial, mental or emotional. 

Anyone can experience an abusive environment regardless of gender, age, race, class, religion, ability, income, lifestyle or where they live. Abuse can be perpetrated by partners or ex-partners and take many forms, including:

Emotional – constantly putting a person down, always wanting to know where they are, stopping a person from seeing their family or friends, stopping them from having a job.

Physical – assault and physical attack, using physical force like hitting, punching, biting, kicking, throwing or smashing things, making threats to hurt someone.

Sexual – includes a range of different behaviours, many of which – including sexual assault and rape – are criminal offences.

Sexual abuse is often a component of domestic abuse – for example, perpetrators may use force, threats or intimidation to engage in sexual activity; they may taunt or use degrading treatment related to gender, force the use of pornography or force their partners to engage in sexual activity with others. Rape and sexual assault are crimes, whether they take place within a marriage, by partners or ex-partners.

Financial – taking a person’s money, making a person ask for money, or say how they spend every single penny, not allowing them to work and earn money, making all the decisions when deciding what to buy and when to buy.