Have you experienced domestic abuse within your family home or in your relationship?
When you’re at home, do you often feel like you have to take sides?
Domestic abuse is when someone tries to control, threaten, or hurt someone in their family or relationship.
It can happen to anyone – and it doesn’t always leave bruises. If someone is using violence, fear, pressure, or manipulation to get what they want, that’s domestic abuse.
Even if the abuse isn’t aimed directly at you, it can still have a huge impact – and it’s always okay to ask for help.
Domestic abuse can include:
Physical Abuse
Hitting, kicking, punching, pushing or pulling hair. It can also look like someone throwing or smashing things to scare you
Threats
This might be threatening to hurt you, someone in your family, or a pet — or threatening to stop giving you money for essentials like food, travel or bills.
Sexual Abuse
Being made to do something sexual that you don’t want to do, being forced to watch something sexual, or being sent or made to send sexual messages, pictures or videos.
Financial control
Not being allowed to spend your own money, or not being given money for basic things like food, baby supplies or clothes.
Controlling your life
Stopping you from going to school or work, deciding who you can talk to or see, telling you what to wear, or cutting you off from friends or family.
‘Honour’-based or cultural abuse
This includes being punished or hurt for doing something your family or community doesn’t accept – or being forced to marry someone or stop seeing people outside your culture.
Whatever you’re going through, you don’t have to face it alone.
We can help you work through difficult emotions – like feeling angry, overwhelmed or low — and understand what’s going on in your life. If things at college or work are feeling too much, we can support you to manage the situation. If you’d like, we can even speak to your school, college or employer on your behalf. You can talk to one of our counsellors – someone who’s trained to listen and help you make sense of your thoughts and feelings. Or, if you just need someone to talk to, we’re here to listen. Sometimes, just saying it out loud can make a difference.
We get it…
It’s not always easy to talk about what’s happening, especially if it’s painful or confusing. But bottling things up can make them feel even heavier. However you’re feeling — angry, numb, scared or sad – your feelings are valid, and there’s no “right” way to feel.
You don’t have to have all the answers. You just have to take the first step – and we’re here to walk with you.
