There is no way to tell for sure if someone is experiencing domestic violence. Those who are battered, and those who abuse, come in all genders, shapes, sizes, colors, economic classes, sexual orientations and personality types. Victims are not always passive with low self-esteem, and batterers are not always violent or hateful to their partner in front of others. Most people experiencing relationship violence do not tell others what goes on at home. So how do you tell? Look for the symptoms. Here are a few.
Emotional Abuse:
•Putting you down
•Making you feel bad about yourself
•Calling you names
•Implying that you are crazy
•Playing mind games
•Using guilt as a weapon of control
•Using humiliation
Using Privilege:
•Treating you like a servant
•Making all decisions for the family or couple
•Acting like an owner or master
•Being the one to define and enforce roles
•Expecting you to obey like a child
There are many more. We will cover them in our next blog. You can also visit www.aardvarc.org for them and sooo much more info on Domestic Violence.
You are beautiful! You are worth protecting! You have value! You are strong!
Be smart about your safety!!! : )
