What sorts of things can be called domestic violence?

Domestic violence involves using behaviour that is very damaging to the other partner and in some cases may be criminal. It may involve one or more of the following:

• Physical Assault - kicking, slapping, choking or using weapons against the victim. All threats of physical violence should be taken seriously.
• Sexual Assault - Any non-consenting (not fully agreed to by both partners) sexual act or behaviour, Any unwanted or disrespectful sexual touch, rape (with or without threats of other violence), forced compliance in sexual acts, indecent assaults, and forced viewing of pornography.
• Using coercion and threats. Telling your partner you will do something to hurt them, the children, pets or property if your partner does not do what you want, or does something you do not want them to do.
• Hurting the other's feelings by saying mean things and name-calling.
• Using intimidation. Making your partner afraid by using looks, actions, gestures. Using male privilege, acting like the 'master of the castle'.
• Using children, such as by making your partner feel guilty about the children. Threatening to take the children away, to report her/him to Child Protection authorities. Using visitation to harass your partner, using the children to relay messages
• Using isolation - controlling what your partner does, who your partner sees and talks to, what she or he reads and where they go. Smothering.
• Psychological/Emotional/Verbal Abuse - using words and other strategies to insult, threaten, degrade, abuse or denigrate the victim. This can include threats to the victim's children.
• Social Abuse - social isolation imposed upon a female partner, such as stopping her from seeing her family and friends. This may include enforced geographic isolation.
• Economic Abuse - controlling and withholding access to family resources such as money and property.

If you are experiencing any of these problems, seek help as soon as possible. You do not have to put up with domestic violence.

Family Violence Prevention Services