What is Abuse?
Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive/ threatening, controlling behaviour used by one person over another within a close or intimate relationship.
At the root of all domestic violence is a desire for the abuser to have power and control over their partner. In most situations, a range of behaviours are used to get this control. These abusive actions often get worse over time.
- Emotional or psychological abuse
- Financial abuse
- Physical abuse
- Sexual abuse
Can you answer YES to some of these questions?
Is your partner:
- Stopping you from leaving your home?
- Unhappy when you see your family or friends?
- Shouting and frightening you?
- Making threats to hurt you, your children or family?
- Destroying your belongings or property?
Does your partner:
- Control all the household money?
- Cut you off from bank accounts?
- Sabotaging your job or preventing you from going to work?
- Monitor your phone and online activity; open your post and emails?
Does your partner:
- Use force, threats, or intimidation to make you perform sexual acts?
- Make you feel guilty for not having sex?
- Have control of your contraception?
- Make you watch pornography or force you to participate in making porn?
- Share or threatening to share, intimate images online or with friends, family or colleagues
- Rape you?
Is your partner?
- Punching or slapping you?
- Using weapons, such as knives or hammers against you?
- Using household items as weapons e.g. throwing a phone at you?
- Biting you?
- Pinching you?
- Kicking you?
- Pulling your hair?
- Pushing or shoving you?
- Burning you?
- Strangling or choking you?
Our 24hr helpline is 046 9022393. Someone from our team is always ready to listen and support you. Call us day or night.
What does research tell us about Gender Based Violence in Ireland?
The most recent prevalence figures for gender-based violence are available from the EU Fundamental Rights Agency [FRA] survey carried out in 2015.
1,567 women were interviewed in Ireland for this survey. The survey results indicate that:
-4% of women were being physically and sexually abused by their current partner/spouse
-11% had been physical or sexual abused by a former partner/spouse
-11% of women were experiencing psychological abuse from a current partner/spouse
-37% experienced psychological abuse by a former partner/spouse
-41% of women knew a woman in their family and friendship circle who was being abused
-49% of women had seen an awareness campaign on domestic violence, 49% had not.
Domestic Violence and Gender
While we know that men also experience domestic violence and more work and focus is happening on this issue, 1 in 7 women compared with 1 in 17 men experience severe domestic violence. Women are over twice as likely as men to have experienced severe physical abuse, seven times more likely to have experienced sexual abuse and are more likely to experience serious injuries than men. (National Crime Council and ESRI, Domestic Abuse of Women and Men, 2005)
For more information on domestic violence check out www.womensaid.ie and www.safeireland.ie
