Striking you partner or child on a repeated basis is a crime. So is just threatening to do it. Domestic abuse doesn’t just confine it self hitting someone – it can also apply to repeatedly threatening to hit someone. The threat or the actual harm can also be sexual too. What surprises a lot of people is that domestic abuse is also directed against men.

• Being hit
• Being raped or suffering degrading treatment
• Emotion or psychological abuse, i.e. being told you are worthless, useless or a bad person
• Having your money withheld or prevented from getting a job
• Not being allowed to see friends or family or not being allowed to go out.

However domestic abuse affects you, it almost always gets worse over time. It’s not your fault and you certainly don’t deserve to be a victim of it.

People who suffer from domestic abuse often feel they have nowhere to go and no one to turn to. They would be wrong. There are plenty of organisations who can help. See the list on this page.

You could report it to the police and try to have the person responsible kept away from you, your children and your home.

You could even leave your home and stay with a relative or a friend. You could even try and stay in a refuge or a hostel. There are such places where you will be safe and where your anonymity will be respected.

Once you decided to leave the chances are you won’t be going back, so take with you only the things that are important to you and your children (if you have any). Things like passports, personal ID, driving licence, birth certificates and bank and benefit details. These will be important to help you establish a new life free from harm and hurt.

If you would like to talk to someone, see our list of useful numbers.