Understanding Different Forms of Violence: Identifying and Seeking Help
Gender-based violence encompasses various types of abuse that occur between partners or family members. It can be physical, sexual, emotional, or financial.
Gender-based violence affects people of all backgrounds, no matter their age, money, who they love, gender, race, religion, or where they come from.
It is important to know about these different types of abuse so you can get help and support. Here are the different types of gender-based violence:
| Physical Abuse | This is when someone hurts you physically, like hitting, pushing, or kicking you. They might threaten you with weapons, disturb your sleep, throw things at you, break your stuff, hurt or kill your pet, control where you can go, or stop you from getting medical help. |
| Sexual Abuse | Sexual abuse can include forcing you to do sexual things you don't want to do, scaring you when you say no, making you have sex with other people, hurting you during sex, using violence or mean words during sex, not letting you protect yourself from diseases or pregnancy, or sharing private pictures or videos of you without permission. |
| Emotional Abuse | Emotional abuse is just as harmful as physical abuse. It can involve always criticizing you, calling you names, making you doubt yourself, acting like they're better than you, blaming you for their actions, threatening you, making you scared, keeping you away from friends and family, being very jealous, accusing you of cheating, or watching everything you do. They might also use manipulative tricks like threatening to hurt themselves to control you. |
| Financial Abuse | This type of abuse controls your money and life. It can include taking charge of your finances, giving you limited money, hiding family money, making debts in your name, interfering with your job or education, or hurting your credit score. |
If you are going through any of these types of abuse, there are resources available that can help you leave an abusive situation, start healing, and being safe. Remember, you are not alone, and there are people who can support and guide you.
The above article provides information about legal issues but is not the same as legal advice. Legal advice is when a lawyer applies the law to your specific situation. The information in this article does not replace the advice or representation of a licensed attorney. Law Center for Better Housing cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information in this article and is not responsible for any consequences that may result from using it. You should consult with a licensed attorney to ensure the information in this article is appropriate for your specific situation. Using the information in this article does not create a relationship between Law Center for Better Housing and you as your attorney.