What is domestic abuse?

Domestic abuse is when you are controlled, bullied or threatened by your partner or a family member, who wants to gain control over you.

Most people think of women with a black eye when they think of domestic abuse, but abuse can also be mental, emotional, psychological, sexual or financial.

It doesn’t happen to one kind of person either – women and men of all classes, ages and backgrounds can suffer abuse.

BCWA is committed to ending domestic abuse in all its forms, which include:

• Intimate partner abuse
• Family member abuse
• So-called honour based violence (HBV)
• Forced marriage
• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

How do I recognise abuse?

Do any of these statements remind you of your partner or someone in your family?

• They criticise you and put you down
• They treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see
• They ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments
• They blame you for their own abusive behaviour
• They you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person

These are ALL indicators of abuse.

If you recognise yourself or someone else in these statements, get help now.