Recognizing abusive relationships

Red flags of abusive relationships

Do you…

  • Feel afraid of your partner most of the time?
  • Feel that you can’t do anything right?
  • Get embarrassed by your partner’s behavior toward you?
  • Believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?
  • Avoid topics or situations out of fear of angering your partner?

Does your partner…

  • Humiliate, criticize or yell at you?
  • Blame you for his behavior?
  • Threaten to hurt you?
  • Threaten to take your kids away?
  • Threaten to harm your kids or pets?
  • Force you to have sex?
  • Act jealous and possessive?
  • Keep you from seeing friends and family?
  • Limit your access to money or necessities?
  • Keep you from getting a job or going to school?
  • Constantly check up on you?
  • Threaten to kill himself or hurt himself if you leave?

Does your friend or loved one…

  • Have frequent injuries resulting from “accidents”?
  • Frequently and suddenly miss work, school or cancel plans?
  • Receive frequent calls from a partner?
  • Fear their partner, or refer to a partner’s rages or behavior?
  • Lack assertiveness or have submissive behavior?
  • Isolate from friends and families?
  • Have insufficient resources to live (money, credit cards, car)?

Red Flags of Teen Dating Violence

For friends…

  • Their boyfriend/girlfriend calls them names or puts them down in front of others.
  • Their boyfriend/girlfriend acts extremely jealous when they talk to friends of the opposite sex, even when it is completely innocent.
  • Your friend often cancels plans at the last minute, for reasons that sound untrue.
  • Your friend frequently apologizes for their boyfriend/girlfriend.
  • Your friend’s boyfriend/girlfriend is constantly checking up on them, calling or texting and demanding to know where they have been.
  • You’ve seen the boyfriend/girlfriend lose their temper, maybe even get violent when they’re mad.
  • Your friend is always worried about upsetting their boyfriend/girlfriend.
  • Your friend is giving up things that used to be important to them, such as spending time with friends or other activities, and is becoming more and more isolated.
  • Your friend’s weight, appearance or grades have changed dramatically.
  • Your friend has injuries they can’t explain, or the explanations they give don’t add up.

For parents…

  • Does your child?
  • Make changes in their daily rituals?
  • Retreat from school or activities?
  • Experience isolation from friends?
  • Weight, appearance and grades have changed dramatically?
  • Make changes in clothing?
  • Wear clothing inappropriate for the weather in order to hide marks?
  • Have visible marks or bruises?
  • Spend excessive amounts of time with the person they’re dating?
  • Spend excessive amounts of time in contact with the person they are dating through cell phones and computers?