What is domestic abuse?

Domestic abuse is controlling, bullying, threatening or violent behaviour. It happens between people aged 16 and over and their partners, ex-partners or family members.

It often involves more than one incident of abuse. However, the abuse only needs to happen once to be domestic abuse. It can happen to anyone. It doesn't matter what your ethnicity, gender, sexuality or social background is.

If you’re a victim of domestic abuse, there are different types of abuse you might experience.  Domestic abuse can take many forms. It doesn’t always involve physical violence.

Below are some common examples of domestic abuse. You don’t need to work out which type you are experiencing. They often overlap and you might experience more than one type. If what has happened to you isn’t listed below, it doesn’t mean you’re not a victim of domestic abuse. If something doesn’t feel right, you can report it.

Examples of domestic abuse

Some of the ways a person may abuse you include:

Physical abuse

This might include pushing, slapping, kicking or choking you. They may also throw things at you. The person doing this might also threaten you with harm.

Emotional abuse

They may call you names, always put you down or try and humiliate you. They might also try and scare you. For example, they may drive dangerously.

Coercive or controlling abuse

Coercive behaviour is when someone isolates you and controls what you do. They might stop you from seeing your family and friends. They might always tell you what you can do.

Sexual abuse or assault

You might be forced or pressured into sexual activity without your permission. This includes forcing you to dress or behave in a sexual way. They may also hold you down during sex or touch you inappropriately.

Economic abuse

This includes stopping you from accessing your money. They may also not let you work, or give you an allowance.

Digital or online abuse

They might look at your social media activity. They may share, or threatening to share, your personal information online. This might include your intimate images or videos.

Honour-based abuse and forced marriage

Honour-based abuse is a crime or incident committed to protect or defend the 'honour' of a family or community. It is never justified. The abuse can take on many forms.

Stalking and harassment

You may get constant text messages asking what you are doing. These might feel like they are checking up on you. They might come to your work when you don’t expect it. They may also threaten you.

You can visit the gov.uk website for a further breakdown of the types of domestic abuse.

Report it

If you’ve experienced anything like the above from a partner, ex-partner or family member, it’s likely you’re a victim of domestic abuse.

You're not to blame for what's happening. You're not alone. You can report it to us online. On that page you will find advice on how you can help keep yourself safe during the reporting process.

If the person doing this to you isn’t a partner, ex-partner or family member, you can still report it to us using our online crime reporting service.

Children and young people under 16

If you’re under 16 and have experienced any of the above, it’s child abuse, and we can help you. Please visit our child abuse advice pages where you can get more information on how we can help. 

Support

If you’re not ready to speak to the police, you can contact support organisations who will help you.

You can find a list of national and local support organisations by visiting our support organisations page.