Recognising the Signs of Abuse

What is abuse?

Abuse is wrongly using the power and control that one person has over another. Abuse is when a single act or repeated acts are taking place intentionally or unintentionally and causing harm to another person. Abuse can also happen when a person neglects or fails to act on their responsibility to look after a person and may be harmful to them. Multiple acts of abuse can occur when a person experiences many different types of abuse at the same time.

What are the types of abuse?

There are many different types of abuse such as:

Physical abuse

When someone hurts or harms another person on purpose, for example, punching, hitting, scalding, misusing medication and intentionally holding them against their will. Some of the symptoms of physical abuse can be very visible such as bruising, fractures, vomiting, cuts and much more. This can lead to many sides effects such as depression, anxiety, feeling isolated, lonely, and drugs and alcohol misuse.

Verbal (emotional abuse)

When someone continually uses words to humiliate and criticize another person. For example, threatening, yelling, shouting, insulting, name-calling, blaming and much more. Some of the symptoms of verbal abuse can be fearfulness and avoidance of eye contact, lack of confidence, low self-esteem and self-worth, lack of energy, nervousness or jumpiness.

Isolation (emotional abuse)

When the abuser will have total control over the abused. For example, controlling where they go and what they do, who they see and talk to, not allowing them to leave the house, punishing them and much more.

Threats (emotional abuse)

Threats are abuse when the abused is living in fear and anxiety all the time. This can also be used as emotional blackmail for the abuser to have things the way they want. For example by saying “if you leave me I will kill myself”.

Unlike all other types of abuse, emotional abuse can be difficult to identify, as there are no scars or marks, but these behaviours can have a huge impact on our mental health and if not dealt with could have a wide range of effects.

Sexual abuse

The term used when different abuse has been taking place in a sexual act. Examples of sexual abuse include rape, inappropriate touching, and sexual harassment. Some of the symptoms of sexual abuse could be low self-esteem, low self-worth, signs of distress and fear, not wanting to open up, staying silent, and aggressive behaviour.

Reporting abuse

Abuse is never acceptable. If you suspect somebody is being abused it is important to report your suspicions to the appropriate authorities immediately.

Call 999 if the person is at immediate risk.

If it’s not an emergency, you can report the crime online or call 101.