1. Physical abuse<\/strong> \u2013 the abuser inflicts harm on another person either through\u00a0a direct physical attack or by using objects as weapons. It can lead to either short-term or long-term injury.<\/p>\n Physical assault or battery is a crime, plain and simple \u2013 whether it occurs inside or outside of the family. While\u00a0physical abuse is the most common \u2013 leaving a person with visible bruises and scars \u2013 other forms of abuse are often considered more damaging to an\u00a0individual\u2019s overall and long-term wellbeing, particularly emotional and psychological abuse.<\/p>\n 2. Emotional abuse<\/strong> \u2013 the abuser chips away at a person\u2019s self-esteem and independence by constantly insulting, blaming, and shaming the person they aim to control.<\/p>\n This enables the abuser to\u00a0retain control over the individual, whose confidence and independence has been crippled. The thought patterns of the person being abused change; they think everything negative their abuser says\u00a0is true, and believe they really are worthless. In turn, they become too afraid to leave the relationship, and are left feeling powerless.<\/p>\n The person being abused cannot stand up for themselves because they no longer have their own two legs to stand on; the abuser becomes their crux.<\/p>\n 3. Psychological abuse<\/strong> \u2013 this is closely linked with emotional abuse. The abuser uses manipulation and lies\u00a0to make a person believe\u00a0that things are different from what they truly are. As a result, the person’s self-confidence\u00a0is damaged; they start second-guessing everything and everyone (including themselves).<\/p>\n Both emotional and psychological abuse affect a person over a prolonged period of time; it continuously chips away at their mental state and belittles their position in the relationship. It leaves deep-rooted mental wounds that often take a long time to recover from, including a vicious cycle of negative, hopeless thinking.<\/p>\n 4. Sexual abuse<\/strong> \u2013 the abuser asserts his dominance over another person by forcing them to participate in unwanted, degrading, and most likely unsafe sexual activities. This is often categorised with physical abuse, as the abuser can\u00a0cause harm (both intentionally and unintentionally) to the body of the person being sexually abused.<\/p>\n Being forced into sex \u2013 regardless of whether you are married or not \u2013 is an act of aggression, abuse, and violence; it is rape.<\/p>\n Don’t let anyone make you think otherwise: there is no excuse for this criminal behaviour.<\/p>\n 5. Financial abuse<\/strong> \u2013 the abuser withholds money, controls your finances, forces you to account for every little expense, or simply takes your money for themselves.<\/p>\n Financial abuse is another way of gaining control and asserting dominance. It takes away the independence of the person being abused, and prevents them from\u00a0doing anything the abuser deems ‘inappropriate’. It can affect a\u00a0person’s self confidence\u00a0by leading them to believe they can’t be trusted with money. And most notably, it prevents them\u00a0from escaping their abuser: without finances, they can’t travel, buy food, pay for accommodation\u00a0\u2013 or anything.<\/p>\n Nobody has the right to use your money or control how you spend it \u2013 this is nothing more than abuse.<\/p>\n Any one of or a combination of these forms of abuse seriously affect the sufferer\u2019s physical and mental state long-term. They are all equally unjust and cruel, and no one must stand for it.<\/p>\n Hundreds of thousands of men and women alike continue to suffer year after year at the hands of their abusers because they can’t get out, and can’t call\u00a0for help due\u00a0to fear.<\/p>\n Domestic abuse is, unfortunately, a very real issue in the UK. More often than not, the victim has been suffering for a long time, or the abuse is responsible for major problems in their life.<\/p>\n Statistics on abuse in the UK show that:<\/strong><\/p>\n Fortunately, the overall percentage of cases is declining each year. But the issue is that many cases of abuse are not reported and go\u00a0undetected for a long period of time. So statistics may not be representative of the bigger picture. Abusers are skilled at concealing\u00a0the situation and wearing down a person’s psyche to the point where they won’t reach out for help or tell anyone what’s happening.<\/p>\n This is why it’s so important to be aware of the signs. You can either help someone you know who may be subject to abuse, or you can help yourself by recognising what you’re feeling and experiencing isn’t right.<\/p>\n Identifying domestic abuse, particularly when you are trapped in its vicious cycle, can be very difficult to do. Unfortunately, many who suffer from continuous abuse are too reluctant to disclose their experience or are unaware that they are actually facing criminal behaviour.<\/p>\n Signs of domestic abuse include:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n These are all feelings and thoughts that an\u00a0abuser coerces you into having.<\/p>\n You should never feel ashamed or think that the blame rests with you; this is a situation that has been forced on you by a vindictive person determined to control your life.<\/p>\n Likewise, being blinded by emotional attachments, feeling frightened, and believing that the abuse is a \u2018one off\u2019 are all seeds of doubt and control that have been planted in your mind. Confusion is how the abuser wants you to feel so that they can maintain control and manipulate you into thinking whatever they want.<\/p>\n Abusers typically follow a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour in order to do so. This is known as the cycle of violence.<\/em><\/p>\n If you are a social worker or your work touches on anything covered in this article, our range of Safeguarding Courses<\/a> can provide a further understanding in areas connected to domestic violence and abuse.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It begins with the act of abuse.<\/strong><\/p>\n Tension begins to rise between you and your abuser until they eventually lash out with aggressive, belittling, or violent behaviour \u2013 either physical, verbal, or both. This is a power play designed to show you \u2018who is the boss\u2019 \u2013 to make you feel afraid and intimidated by them.<\/p>\n The abuser adopts a fa\u00e7ade of guilt.<\/strong><\/p>\n After abusing you, they show signs of feeling guilty and remorseful. But this is not over what they have done.<\/p>\n It is often a hidden display of concern that they could be caught and face consequences \u2013 masked as guilt for harming you. Other times, they are acting in order to deceive and psychologically control you.<\/p>\n A facade of guilt leads you to believe that they are truly sorry, which lures you back into a false sense of security.<\/p>\n They make a string of excuses.<\/strong><\/p>\n Your abuser rationalises what he or she has done and convinces you that the blame lies elsewhere. They make\u00a0up excuses about why they behaved abusively, or even blame you for it \u2013 anything to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. By painting this image of innocence, they instil a false sense of\u00a0trust in you.<\/p>\n They revert back to \u2018normal\u2019 behaviour.<\/strong><\/p>\n This is where the infatuation and love you feel are exploited by the abuser. They do whatever they can to maintain control and keep you in the relationship \u2013 this includes acting like nothing has ever happened, behaving like they are \u2018past it\u2019, or turning on the charm. You’re led to believe\u00a0that the abuser really has \u2018changed\u2019 for the better and that their behaviour was just a lapse. But this is far from the truth.<\/p>\n Remember: <\/strong>despite what you may be led to believe, abusers are<\/strong> able to control their behaviour; this is not a valid excuse. They do it all the time in the form of putting on fa\u00e7ades, behaving coyly around your friends and family, stopping their abuse behaviour when it benefits them (e.g. when you’re in public or if the police show up), and directing their aggression only at you.<\/p>\n They begin plan their next act of abuse.<\/strong><\/p>\n At this stage, the abuser\u00a0thinks about what you have done wrong and how they’ll berate you for it\u00a0\u2013 all with the intention of reasserting their dominance and wearing down your self-confidence and independence. They begin to turn this fantasy into a plan that they’ll enact in reality.<\/p>\n The abuser sets up situations and takes all opportunities to abuse you again.<\/strong><\/p>\n Your abuser will find fault in the way you have done something, either by setting you up or by capitalising on an opportune moment where you make a mistake (or where they can twist the truth to make it seem that way). In this situation,\u00a0they can justify abusing you because they can shift the blame onto you and make you believe it \u2013 it sets into motion the \u2018excuses\u2019 part of the cycle.<\/p>\n Thus, the cycle all begins once again.<\/p>\n Remember:<\/strong> recognising abuse is the first step to receiving help. Abuse destroys a person’s\u00a0self-worth, which can take a long time to regain. You deserve to feel confident in yourself. You deserve to feel valued as an individual. You deserve to be free of harm.<\/p>\n Information on the cycle of violence, UK statistics on domestic abuse, the four types of domestic abuse & the signs to recognise in victims.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":29314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[100],"class_list":["post-3618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safeguarding","tag-trauma-and-abuse"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"\n![\"woman](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/woman-upset.jpg\")
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\nDomestic Abuse UK Statistics<\/h2>\n
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\nWhat are the Signs of Domestic Abuse?<\/h2>\n
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<\/div>\nNeed a Training Course?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nThe Cycle of Violence<\/h2>\n
![\"the](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/cycle_of_violence.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"abusive](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/abusive-relationship.jpg\")
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\nFurther Resources:<\/h3>\n
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