What is domestic violence?

Domestic violence is any abuse whether it’s emotional, physical, or sexual, that occurs in a domestic relationship. This means it could occur between married spouses, gay partnerships, or boyfriend and girlfriend couples.

Although, abuse against women is more frequent, women aren’t the only victims, men can also be victims of domestic violence and women can be the perpetrators.

There are many types of domestic violence, these include:

Sexual abuse or threats of sexual abuse: One person typically uses sexual abuse or the threat of sexual abuse to control their spouse and limit what they can and cannot do. This type of threat is sexual, physical, and emotional.

Harassment: Some spouses exert power over their partner by harassing them outside of the house at places such as their work. They terrify their partners by repeatedly calling or emailing their place of work. They stalk them during their breaks or after their work is over. They show up to their partner’s employment place unannounced. They send their partner’s boss or coworkers emails inquiring about their partner at work.

Belittlement: An abusive spouse will belittle their partner by calling them humiliating names or by condescending them in public. Their goal, whether it’s a conscientious decision or not on their part, is to make their partner feel too insecure to leave them.

Stalking: If a spouse senses that their partner is growing distant from them or if they tried to leave the relationship, the spouse may get angry and start stalking their partner. Stalking is threatening and terrifying. A spouse may stalk their partner while they’re out running errands, or while they’re staying at a friend’s place. A spouse may even start to stalk their partner’s friends or family.

Control at the house: Another way an abusive spouse may try to control their partner is by not allowing them to leave the house or see family, friends or professionals. This form of control is to avoid giving their partner access to resources that may help or encourage them to leave the abusive isolated environment. Another way abusers can accomplish this is by taking away their partner’s access to money. By making them ask for any money they can control what they do with it. Again, this is to make it difficult, if not impossible, for their partners to leave the abusive relationship.

Solutions?

An abused spouse can call 9-11 and request a police intervention. If the spouse is clearly a victim of abuse and has injuries to show for it, police can arrest the abusive spouse. Then a victim can attain a restraining order against their spouse.

For information about whether or not you have a legal case against your abusive spouse or partner, contact an experienced attorney to determine if your spouse committed a felony crime.