Signs of Domestic Violence

PHYSICAL VIOLENCE - punching, hitting, slapping, shoving, pulling hair, twisting limbs, choking or serious injury causing death.

SEXUAL ASSAULT - rape, being forced to perform sexual acts without consent.

USE OF WEAPONS - the use of guns and knives may be actual or threatened. In murders where domestic relationship existed, guns were used in 51% of cases and knives were used in 22% of cases (The AUSTRALIAN, March 28, 1996)

PSYCHOLOGICAL and EMOTIONAL ABUSE - continual put-downs, verbal harassment, making a person feel that they are crazy, intermittent rewards, threatening harm to a person or their children, threats of suicide. Such actions are intended to destroy a persons self-esteem and distort their perception of their right to be safe and free from harassment.

STALKING and INTIMIDATION - acts directed at intimidating and frightening a person, injuring or destroying pets, throwing items which just miss them, damaging personal property including cars. Stalking can include following them about, waiting outside their property or place of employment.

SOCIAL ISOLATION AND ABUSE - isolating a person from family and friends, not allowing them out of the house, no access to a car or public transport, restricting their use of the telephone, control over who they see and where they go, humiliating them in public.

FINANCIAL ABUSE - preventing a person from having access to financial resources, not allowing them to have their own bank account, demanding that they hand over their pay, depriving the person and their children of basic physical needs.