The forms of family violence listed here are common examples but are not a complete list.
Psychological abuse: intimidation, harassment, damage to property, harming or killing a person’s pet, stalking, threatening other forms of violence (physical, sexual or psychological), causing children to witness violence - can also involve emotional abuse including behaviours such as playing mind games; manipulation by appealing to feelings of guilt, shame and worthlessness; verbal putdowns and ridicule; non-verbal actions, such as withdrawal, refusal to communicate and rude or dismissive gestures.
Physical abuse: any attack on a person’s physical safety and bodily integrity, including pushing, punching, hitting, kicking, strangling/choking, assault with weapons, and murder.
Sexual abuse: any actual or threatened sexual contact without consent, including pressure to have sex, rape, injuring a person via sex, and sexualised derogatory name calling. It includes a victim being forced into prostitution, forced exposure to pornography, and being forced to have sex with friends of the abuser.
Online abuse: using new technologies, including social media to stalk, harass, embarrass or intimidate.
Financial abuse: trapping a person in a relationship by controlling resources, such as household finances. The victim could also be forced to claim money illegally (benefit fraud), or the abusive person may be using the victim's credit cards or otherwise creating debt in the victim's name.It can also include limiting access to education or employment.
Social abuse: isolating a person from friends and whānau, restricting activities with others, making a person dress in a certain way, and/or controlling a person’s time and activities.
Spiritual abuse: denigrating a person’s religious or spiritual beliefs, preventing them attending religious gatherings or practising their faith, harming or threatening to harm them via religious or occult rituals, or forcing them to take part in religious activities.
Have you seen someone affected by any of these forms of family violence? Learn what you can say to them.