How to Identify Less Obvious Domestic Abuse Situations

There are many different facets of domestic abuse, such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, economic abuse, etc. While sexual abuse may not jump to the forefront of people’s minds when they think of the term “domestic abuse,” it does play a large factor.

Just like the term domestic abuse, sexual abuse is a broad category. It can range anywhere from physically forcing someone to have sex, all the way to using intimidation or any other form of abuse to coerce someone.

The basic rule is that any situation where you are forced to participate in or degrading sexual activity is considered sexual abuse. It can come as a shock to many people that the one doing the forcing can be an intimate partner, or even a spouse.

The hard fact is that forced sex is an act of violence and aggression, and it has been historically shown that people who are abused physically or sexually by their partners are at a significantly higher risk of being injured or killed.

Here are some situations in which many people might not consider it to be abuse, even though it is:

• Compared to stories you hear about on the news, or see on TV, the incidents of physical abuse you’ve experienced seem minor. When it comes to physical abuse, there is no better or worse form; for example, it is still highly possible to be injured as a result of being pushed.
• The physical abuse has only happened a few times throughout the relationship. “It was a one-time thing” is not a valid excuse when it comes to domestic abuse. There have been multiple studies showing if it happened once, it is likely to happen again.
• Becoming passive caused the physical assaults to stop. Giving up yourself in response to physical abuse is not a solution. You should never have to stop being who you are out of fear of being assaulted.
• The abuse has never been physical. There are multitudes of ways in which abuse can be non-physical, all of which are just as real as being assaulted. Often times the non-violent abuse can be harder to understand since the effects will be entirely psychological, and may not manifest themselves until they’ve been endured for years.

If you suspect domestic abuse is happening in your household, or in the household of someone you know, then please speak with a trained professional about what courses of action are available to you.

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