What is domestic abuse?
We consider domestic abuse to be when one adult uses threatening, violent or abusive behaviour to control another person with whom they are having or have had a relationship with. This could be a partner, spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend or a family member. The abuse could be psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional and is often a combination of these.
Domestic abuse is made worse by the fact that it is usually perpetrated by a person you care about and by the fact that it often happens over and over again. The majority of people who are living in an abusive relationship are women and the majority of perpetrators of abuse are men.
However we recognise that a significant number of men suffer abuse from female partners and studies also show that gay men and women experience domestic violence at about the same rates as heterosexual women.
Up to one in four women and up to one in six men will be assaulted by a current or ex-partner in their lifetimes. A large number of people will experience ongoing domestic abuse over a number of years.
Because domestic abuse happens behind closed doors, many people think that it is only happening to them. This is not true - domestic abuse can happen to anyone - it is not related to where you live, your background or ethnicity.
If you think that you or a friend is suffering domestic abuse try answering the questions in this checklist.
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