Being a victim of domestic violence can be terrifying. Many victims encounter less-than-ideal living situations in order to flee the violence while they get back on their feet emotionally and financially.
While most physical intimate partner violence is obvious, there are other kinds of abuse that friends and family may more easily overlook, and which go underreported. Here are some of the things that constitute domestic violence in Florida.
Stalking
Repeatedly calling or texting a person, following a person around and watching someone as they go about their daily activities are all forms of stalking. Stalking is a form of intimidation that sometimes escalates to physical violence, and it can be very difficult to prove until it does reach that point. Stalking becomes a form of intimate partner violence when it occurs between two people who are in a relationship or who have children together.
Psychological abuse
Psychological abuse can be very subtle and may involve name-calling, eliminating access to outside resources, cutting off friends and family members, using threats to control a victim, and telling a victim that the abuse is their own fault.
Economic abuse
Economic abusers cut off their victim’s access to financial resources and often prevent them from gaining an education or employment, making them entirely financially dependent on the abuser. Even when the partner does have a job of their own, the perpetrator may take their wages or control how they spend their own money.
Recognizing the different types of domestic violence and abuse enables you to help someone who is a victim of intimate partner violence.
