What is domestic abuse?

Domestic abuse is any type of controlling, bullying, threatening or violent behaviour between people who are or have been in a relationship. It can also happen between adults related to one another. It can seriously harm children and young people, and experiencing domestic abuse is child abuse.

It’s important to remember that domestic abuse:

• can happen inside and outside the home
• can happen over the phone, on the internet and on social networking sites
• can happen in any relationship and can continue even after the relationship has ended
• both men and women can be abused or abusers.

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Domestic abuse can be emotional, physical, sexual, economic, coercive or psychological, such as:

• kicking, hitting, punching, cutting or throwing objects
• rape (including in a relationship)
• controlling someone’s finances by withholding money or stopping someone earning
• controlling behaviour, like telling someone where they can go and what they can wear
• not letting someone leave the house
• reading emails, text messages or letters
• threatening to kill someone or harm them
• threatening to another family member or pet.

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Being exposed to domestic abuse has serious consequences for children and young people; and it can affect how they feel, think and behave in harmful ways.