In today's article, we’re going to cover three common forms of abuse: Physical, Emotional, and Sexual. We may have experienced these ourselves in some way or may know someone who has. Kindly treat this as a Trigger Warning and skip the rest of the article, if you feel this may trigger any uneasy/unresolved emotions for you.
We found this definition of abuse fitting, wherein it is defined as “A pattern of behavior used by one person to gain and maintain power and control over another” (Reachma,2017).
Physical abuse:
Perhaps, this is the form of abuse that most of us are familiar with. This involves an individual physically causing harm to another by hitting, kicking, punching, beating, pinching, throwing objects, or causing harm to any part of the body of another. We often see this in disputes between partners, and with the current lockdown situation, the statistics are alarming. In India, we may have witnessed parents and sometimes, school authorities, physically hurt a child as a means of inculcating 'discipline'. This is not only wrong morally, but is also illegal according to our laws.. The RTE Act and the JJ Act specifies a fine and/or imprisonment for any form of corporal punishment used on children by caregivers and institutions and yet disciplining children by ways of physical abuse is a norm in the Indian society.
Emotional abuse:
Emotional abuse entails verbal abuse, any form of manipulation or humiliation to gain power and control over someone; constant disapproval, isolating the individual from friends and family, public humiliation, unreasonable demands and intimidation. This is also recognized and punishable by law.
Psychological abuse sometimes falls under emotional abuse, but it is a bit more nuanced than general emotionally abusive behavior. This may include brainwashing, gaslighting,isolation from others, intimidation, control, harassment or stalking, insults, humiliation, defamation.
Sexual abuse:
Any act that is sexual by nature and is forced on one person by another, constitutes sexual abuse. It can occur between two or more individuals of any age, non-consensually. Sexual acts below the age of 18 (both or either one of the partners) would fall under child sexual abuse. It is illegal and leads to imprisonment as per the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) act.
Sexual abuse can include any penetrative or non-penetrative acts; touching of any part of the body, engaging in sexual acts in front of a child, masturbating in front of an individual, or causing hurt to the other individual, during the act of sex by any form of non-consensual coercion.
Apart from the above mentioned forms of abuse, financial abuse is also common, but it is left unnoticed in our society. Link to a TED talk, that speaks about financial abuse, has been attached below.
The purpose of this article is just to give an idea about the different forms of abuse that exist and some of which are also recognized by the law. It is imperative for us to be aware of them so that we are able to recognize it for ourselves or others, and take necessary action. There are organizations that do help out and offer services in cases of abuse. This also includes treatment for managing and coping with the impact of abuse.
You can contact our team at HerMoveMeant for further assistance on Organisation, resources and mental health wellness services.
This is merely a brief description. To know more checkout the links below:
Here’s to taking the first step towards becoming aware of our mental health!
DISCLAIMER: This blog is created ONLY for information purpose and NOT for self diagnosis. There is a lot more to the concerns we talk about here. In case you identify with these experiences in your or your loved ones life, please reach out to a mental health professional or our team at HerMoveMeant, for further assistance.
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