While you likely are familiar with the subject of domestic violence, the statistics are shocking: over 12 million people in the U.S. alone are a victim of it.

Whether it’s physical, sexual, or economic, domestic abuse often goes unreported and is a largely misunderstood area. This article outlines ten of the most common forms of domestic violence, as well as what to do if you’ve been a victim.

Types of Domestic Violence

While statistics vary depending on the country or population surveyed, here are the most frequent forms of domestic violence crimes.

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse involves any sort of physically aggressive behavior or attack, withholding physical needs (such as food), or the threat of doing so.

This type of abuse is often the first that comes to mind when one thinks of domestic violence, since it is the most difficult to hide. Slapping, choking, hitting, spitting, and even murder—these are forms of abuse intended to render domestic violence victims powerless. Nearly one person every 20 seconds is physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States.

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse involves non-consensual or exploitative sexual activity. About 1 in 5 women and 1 in 12 men have experienced sexual violence by an intimate partner.

Some examples of forms of sexual abuse are unwanted sexting, non-consensual touching, and rape. Having previously had consensual sex with a partner does not prevent them from perpetrating sexual abuse, either.

Emotional Abuse

While harder to define than violent crimes due to their non-physical nature, emotional abuse is a serious and common form of domestic violence. It is typically defined as any behavior that exploits someone’s vulnerability or insecurity and can often be as damaging (if not more) than physical abuse.

Emotional abuse usually involves undermining the domestic violence victim’s confidence or psychological well-being and can include any of the following:

• Distorting one’s sense of reality (aka gaslighting)
• Ridiculing or insulting
• Humiliating a partner in public or private
• Threatening to end a relationship
• Threatening to harm the victim or oneself

Forcing a victim to take drugs or alcohol

Financial Abuse

Financial abuse is a form of intimate partner abuse that often goes unnoticed. It happens when the abuser controls the victim’s money and prevents them from having financial independence.

Ranging from denying a partner any control over the household’s finances to denying them the ability to work and earn their own wages, it is especially common in the elderly. Seniors may have their signatures forged or funds misappropriated from their pension or bank accounts.

Stalking

Stalking is another pervasive form of domestic abuse, having affected 10% of women and 2% of men. Domestic violence laws define it as the act of maintaining proximity to another person that causes reasonable fear for their safety.

With the rise of internet communication and social media, stalking can also involve cyberstalking—a relatively new form of harassment. Many victims have been pursued by former partners to the extent that they require restraining orders. A victim may even have a restraining order against the stalker already, who pursues them in violation of protective orders.

Isolation

Isolation is a form of abuse used to control the victim by keeping them away from friends or family members. However, isolation may also be a coping mechanism used by a victim of other forms of domestic violence: for instance, one may self-isolate to hide evidence of physical abuse.

By keeping the victim isolated, the abuser may manipulate their worldview and attempt to frame their abuse as “normal.” The isolation can increase over time to the point at which the victim is completely deprived of their social support system.

Controlling

Controlling is a form of abuse used to maintain dominance over a victim. As it overlaps with many other forms of domestic abuse, it is a core issue in domestic violence as a whole.

Often subtle and challenging to pinpoint, controlling relationships can be severely damaging. Some types of controlling behaviors include:

• Monitoring one’s phone calls or texts
• Forcing one to dress or behave a certain way
• Arriving unexpectedly to check up on the victim
• Invading one’s privacy

Making the victim believe they are incapable of managing certain functions on their own

Spiritual Abuse

Spiritual abuse can involve sexual, physical, or emotional abuse and occurs in the context of a relationship between an abuser with purported spiritual or religious authority over the victim.

For instance, a spiritual abuser might exhibit controlling behavior, shame, or violence under the guise of justification by their chosen religion. Spiritual abuse occurs not only within religious institutions but also in personal relationships

Parental Abuse

Domestic violence isn’t only limited to romantic or sexual partners—it can also occur between family members. Although it is sometimes referred to as household violence, it is closely related to other forms of domestic violence.

Parental abuse includes any form of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse of a child, as well as neglect or failure to act. Parental abuse of a child is also often accompanied by abuse of a spouse.

Domestic Violence Crimes Coupled with Pregnancy

Although not its own category of domestic crime, intimate partner abuse involving pregnancy is widespread and damaging to both the mother and fetus. Abuse may be pre-existing in the relationship or can arise with pregnancy, and the effects can be both physical and psychological.

Forms of abuse involving pregnancy include:

• Birth control sabotage
• Forced pregnancy or abortion
• Physical abuse directed at a woman’s belly or elsewhere

Depending on the case, physical abuse can increase or decrease during pregnancy. In fact, in instances where it decreases, some victims become pregnant as a means of self-defense.

How to Seek Help for Domestic Abuse

If you’ve been a victim of domestic abuse, it is essential to first ensure your own safety. Whether you want to contact authorities, pursue a protective order, or simply speak to someone about your options, resources like the National Domestic Violence Hotline can provide confidential help.

If you need help with a domestic violence case, contact Cobb Criminal Defense today for a free consultation. Our attorneys have years of experience and will help you seek justice.