-Any form of physical harm one individual inflicts on another

-Includes choking, shaking, pushing, restraining, burning, biting, scratching, or threat of physical harm

-Throwing items, punching walls, kicking doors, harm towards pets, pulling hair, using weapons

-It can also include the denial of medical attention, the withholding of food, and other types of physical limitations inflicted on the survivor

-Any action that impacts a person’s ability to control their sexual activity or the circumstances in which sexual activity occurs

-Sexual coercion, the withholding of sex as a punishment, and becoming violent out of fear that one’s partner is having sex with other people are also forms of sexual abuse

-Sexual abuse can happen within intimate partner relationships, marriages, dating relationships, or it can occur between strangers

-Withholding access to birth control and other contraceptives

-Non-physical behaviors with the intent to intimidate or manipulate such as threats, insults or isolation

-Using power and control tactics to isolate a survivor from friends and family

-Breaking promises repeatedly

-Threatening, taunting, or gaslighting

-Minimizing the abuse, denying the abuse, and blaming the victim

-Degrading, attacking vulnerabilities, ignoring feelings, regularly threatening to leave, and other psychological and emotional tactics are used to abuse

-Saying things meant to be cruel, hurtful, or degrading

-Minimizing accomplishments

-Yelling or cursing at the survivor

-Exerting power and control over a partner through their finances
-Controlling all access to finances/financial decisions
-using a survivor’s name to set up credit cards, apply for loans, etc.
-taking money away
-preventing a partner from earning money or spending their own money

-When the abuser uses technology to bully, harass, stalk, or intimidate a survivor

-Also, closely monitoring digital devices to maintain power and control

-Demanding passwords, checking cell phones, excessive/threatening texts, unwanted sexting

-When the abuser tries to control the survivor’s identiy and/or gender expression

-Using wrong names or wrong pronouns

-When the abuser threatens to our the survivor to their family or prevents them from associating with their culture

-When the abuser misuses religious passages or beliefs to reinforce abuse

-Manipulating the survivor’s religious beliefs, refusing to allow them to attend church or spiritual gatherings

-Claiming the survivor is unwanted or unloved by their higher power to maintain power and control over them