Domestic abuse is when people aged 16 years or older are personally connected to each other and their behaviour is abusive.
If you have concerns that a relationship leaves you, or someone you know, feeling scared, intimidated or controlled, it's possible that you're in an abusive relationship.
Types of domestic abuse
There are different forms of domestic abuse:
- Physical abuse - pushing, hitting, punching, kicking, choking and using weapons.
- Sexual abuse - forcing or pressuring someone to have sex (rape), unwanted sexual activity, touching, groping someone or making them watch pornography.
- Emotional abuse - repeatedly making someone feel bad or scared, stalking, blackmailing, constantly checking up on someone, playing mind games.
- Financial abuse - taking money, controlling finances, not letting someone work.
- Psychological abuse - embarrassing someone in public, threatening to harm someone or people they care about.
- Controlling and coercive behaviour - this includes "honour-based" violence, female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage.
A legal definition of domestic abuse is provided in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021
Warning signs of domestic abuse
Feeling uncomfortable or being afraid in your relationship is the number one warning sign that your relationship is not healthy.
Ask yourself the following questions. If you answer 'yes' to one or more of them, you may be experiencing domestic abuse.
Does your abuser:
- Use physical or sexual violence without warning?
- Tease you in a hurtful way and play it off as a 'joke' or tell you you're being too sensitive?
- Call you names such as 'stupid' and 'useless'?
- Act jealous of your friends, family, or co-workers or coerce you into avoiding or not spending time with them?
- Get angry about or make you change the clothes and shoes you wear, how you style your hair, or whether or not you wear makeup and how much?
- Check up on you by repeatedly calling, driving by or getting someone else to?
- Go places with you or send someone just to 'keep an eye on you'?
- Insist on knowing who you talk with on the phone, check your call log or phone bill?
- Blame you for their problems or their bad mood?
- Get angry so easily that you feel like you're walking on eggshells?
- Do things that scare you?
- Stop you from seeing your friends or family?
- Accuse you of being interested in someone else or cheating on them?
- Read your email, check your computer history, go through your purse or other personal papers?
- Keep money from you or keep you in debt?
- Keep you from getting a job, doing a course or learning to drive?
- Threaten to hurt you, your children, family, friends or pets?
- Force you to have sex when you don't want to?
- Force you to have sex in ways that you don't want to?
- Threaten to kill you or themselves if you leave?
- Act like "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde," acting one way in front of other people and another way when you're alone?
Where to get help and advice for yourself or someone you know
There's a wide range of support in the borough of Rochdale and Greater Manchester for victims and survivors of domestic abuse.
- Call 999 in an emergency - if you can't talk on the call, try coughing or tapping the phone. If the operator asks you if you're in danger, press 55.
- If it's not an emergency, call 101 - Greater Manchester Police Switchboard is open 24 hours a day.
- Rochdale Victim Support:
- Phone 0161 507 9609
- Email rochdale@victimsupport.org.uk
- Safenet - contact us 24 hours a day, 365 days a year:
- Phone 0300 303 3581
- Rochdale Early Help and Safeguarding Hub (Ehash) - if you're concerned a child might be suffering from harm or living in a harmful environment, you can report these safeguarding concerns or call to get advice and information about support available.
- Monday-Friday, 8.45am-4.45pm, phone 0300 303 0440
- Outside of these hours, phone 0300 303 8875
More support for victims and survivors of domestic abuse