Ways You Can Help Prevent Domestic Abuse

Contrary to what many people believe, domestic abuse is prevalent in the UK. Around 1.9 million adults in the UK face instances of domestic violence each year, with 32% of them being violent crimes.

Domestic abuse can happen to anyone regardless of age, gender, race and religion, which is why it is important for victims to know what they must do facing abuse.

Here are some ways you can deal with domestic violence:

Know the Signs

Domestic abuse is not just related to violence, but it can happen in a number of ways. It can be emotional or physical in nature. Therefore, the first step towards preventing domestic abuse is knowing that you are being abused in the first place. Here are some signs of domestic abuse that you must watch out for:

Emotional Abuse

You are being emotionally abused if your partner:

• Constantly belittles you
• Constantly blames you for everything
• Denies that any sort of abuse is happening
• Tries to isolate you from your family members
• Prevents you from going to work or pursuing a career
• Constantly accuses you of having affairs
• Tells what to wear and what to do
• Doesn’t money to fulfil your needs
• Controls virtually every aspect of your life

Sexual Abuse

You are being sexually abused if your partner:

• Touches you in ways that you don’t want him/her to touch you
• Make sexual demands that are unwanted or that you find revolting
• Hurts you during sex
• Pressures you into having unsafe sex
• Pressures you into having sex when you don’t want it—this is rape

Physical Abuse

You are being physically abused if your partner:

• Hits you in any way
• Shoves or pushes you with force
• Bites you hard
• Burns you
• Hold you against your wishes
• Chokes you
• Throws a physical object at you

These are all some signs that you are facing domestic abuse in some way or another.

If you ever feel threatened and intimated by your partner, and are always afraid how your partner may react, then you are likely facing some sort of domestic abuse. Therefore, you must take appropriate actions in order to bring yourself out of this situation.

Confide in Someone

If there is someone you can trust and can listen to you without judgement, then confide in them whatever you are going through.

This will not only provide you with much-needed emotional support, but will help you ways you cannot even imagine. With a confidante, you could also come up with an appropriate course of action to somehow come out of situation.

Write it Down

Whenever an unpleasant event takes place, try and record it in a journal. This log will help you remember everything that you had to go through when you are required to recall all the instances of domestic abuse and could be very helpful when the police or the court is involved.

You must include the date, time, circumstances and any injuries that you sustained. You could also add the emotional trauma that you went through by recording how you feel.

Know A Nearby Shelter

You never know when a situation escalates and when your volatile spouse strikes you, this is why you must know any nearby shelters to which you can escape.

You must also have the domestic abuse hotline numbers saved in your phone, which you contact when in danger.

Contact a Solicitor

Contacting a solicitor is the best way to determine how the law can help you.

If you are in a marriage and have children, then there is all the more reason to contact a solicitor. If you are considering a divorce, it is imperative that you make the first move with regards to child custody and property distribution.

We offer legal aid to victims of domestic abuse. Feel free to visit our website for further information regarding protection laws in the U.K, or call us at 020 3417 3700. You can send an email to info@wembleysolicitors.com for questions/queries as well.