Warning Signs

You may be in an abusive relationship if your partner exhibits one or more of the following:

Destructive criticism/Verbal Abuse:

Name-calling, mocking, accusing, blaming, yelling.

 

Assuming Authority:

Always claiming to be right, telling you what to do, making all decisions.

 

Disrespect:

Interrupting, changing topics, not listening or responding, putting you down in front of others, saying bad things about your friends or family, extreme jealousy.

 

Minimizing/Denying/Blaming:

Making light of their abusive behaviour and not taking your concerns about it seriously, saying the abuse didn’t happen, shifting responsibility for behaviour – saying you caused it.

 

Economic Control:

Refusing to give you money or taking your money, not letting you work or use the car.

 

Self-Destructive Behaviour:

Abusing drugs or alcohol, gambling, threatening suicide or other forms of self-harm.

 

Isolation:

Preventing you from seeing friends and relatives, monitoring phone calls, telling you where you can and cannot go.

 

Harassment:

Making uninvited calls or visits, following you, checking up on you, embarrassing you in public, refusing to leave when asked.

 

Intimidation:

Making angry or threatening gestures, use of physical size to intimidate, out shouting at you, driving recklessly.

 

Destruction:

Destroying your possessions, punching walls, throwing and breaking things.

 

Threats:

Making or carrying out threats to hurt you or others.

 

Sexual Violence:

Degrading treatment based on your gender or sexual orientation, using force or threats to perform sexual acts, unwanted sexual behaviour.

 

Physical Violence:

Slapping, punching, grabbing, kicking, choking, pushing, burning, spitting, biting you, your children, your pets or others.