Domestic violence can include physical or sexual violence, emotional abuse and intimidation, verbal abuse, isolation, and financial abuse. Partner abuse doesn’t always look evident from the outside. You might notice a potentially abusive partner doing some of the following: being controlling and jealous, attempting to isolate them from friends and family, insulting or demeaning them, trying to prevent them from attending work or school, preventing them from making their own decisions, and threatening to harm them. Learn how to recognize the signs of potential abuse.
National Sexual Assault Hotline 800.656.HOPE (4673) or chat online at online.rainn.org. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7. You can also reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or by chat.
The term “sexual violence” is an all-encompassing, non-legal term that refers to crimes like sexual assault, rape, and sexual abuse. Many of these crimes are described below. Please note that the legal definition of crimes varies from state to state. There are often other crimes and forms of violence that arise jointly with crimes like sexual assault, and these are described as well.
