“I would have died. You saved my life, you were constantly checking on me and doing everything that needed to be done. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Domestic Abuse isn’t just physical abuse. Domestic abuse includes physical, emotional, sexual, financial and economic, coercive control, digital and psychological abuse.
Domestic abuse is an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, bullying, threatening or violent behaviour, by a partner, ex partner or family member.
Abusive behaviour can happen in any relationship and it can continue even after the relationship has ended.
If you are worried that your relationship is abusive you can talk to one of our trained advisors. We will never judge or tell you what to do but we can help you make sense of what you’re experiencing and provide a range of different support options.
Physical abuse is any violence or intentional and unwanted contact with your body.
Some examples of physical abuse are:
Emotional abuse includes threats, insults, humiliation, intimidation, isolation or stalking.
Some examples of emotional abuse are:
Sexual abuse refers to any action that pressures you to do something sexually you don’t want to do.
Some examples of sexual abuse are:
Economic abuse can be very subtle — telling you what you can and cannot buy or requiring you to share control of your bank accounts.
Some examples of economic abuse are:
A pattern of intimidation, degradation, isolation and control with the use or threat of physical or sexual violence.
Some examples of coercive control are:
The use of technologies such as texting and social networking to bully, harass, stalk or intimidate a partner. Often this behaviour is a form of verbal or emotional abuse perpetrated online.
Some examples of digital abuse are when someone:
A person subjecting another person to behaviour which may result in psychological trauma including anxiety, chronic depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Some examples of psychological abuse are:
We provide safe emergency accommodation through refuges and dispersed housing, offering welcoming spaces alongside practical and emotional support for women, men and children fleeing domestic abuse.
Our community-based services offer tailored one-to-one support for adults and children affected by domestic abuse, helping people stay safe and access ongoing support across Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton.
We offer a range of group work programmes to support the recovery of both adults and children and young people.
Our specialist team works directly in people’s homes, assessing risk, offering tailored safety advice and providing practical security measures to help reduce immediate danger.
Domestic Abuse Health Advocates are based within Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Andover War Memorial Hospital and Queen Alexandra Hospital, providing timely advice and supportive, confidential help to patients and staff affected by domestic abuse.
Housing Advocates are based within local authority housing services, offering direct advocacy and support to people presenting as homeless due to domestic abuse across Gosport, Havant and East Hampshire.
You can make a referral to any of our services – whether you’re seeking support for yourself or contacting us as a professional. Choose an option below.
“I would have died. You saved my life, you were constantly checking on me and doing everything that needed to be done. I couldn’t have done it without you.”