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Understanding abuse types

Abuse takes many forms. Most people do not arrive knowing exactly what they are experiencing. They only know something is wrong. This hub names each major form clearly, with a full page for survivors, helpers, and anyone seeking to understand.

Why this hub exists

Every form of abuse deserves a name

Most people do not arrive at a domestic violence site knowing exactly what they are experiencing. They know something is wrong. They may not have the words for it yet. This hub gathers the major forms of abuse in one place, with a dedicated page for each.

Every page is written for both survivors and the people who want to help them. Each one includes a clear definition, warning signs, how it happens, who is affected, what to do, and where to find confidential support. Wherever possible, we link to the source of every statistic so you can verify it for yourself.

If you are in danger right now, call 911. For confidential 24-hour support in the United States, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.

A form of abuse

Human trafficking and modern slavery

Human trafficking happens when someone is compelled into labour or commercial sex through force, fraud or coercion, a standard set out in U.S. federal law and used by the U.S. Department of State in its annual Trafficking in Persons reporting. It does not require movement across borders, a locked door, or a stranger. It is fundamentally about control and exploitation, and it often begins with someone the victim knows and trusts.

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A form of abuse

Stalking and post-separation abuse

Stalking is a course of repeated, unwanted attention and contact aimed at one person that would make a reasonable person afraid, the working definition used by the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC) and reflected in most U.S. state laws. It is not romantic persistence, and it does not stop just because the relationship has ended.

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A form of abuse

Forced marriage and honour-based violence

Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or both people do not consent to the union, and pressure or abuse is used to make them agree or go through with it. Honour-based violence is violence or abuse committed to protect or restore what a family or community sees as its honour or reputation. Both are about control, and both are illegal in many jurisdictions.

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A form of abuse

Child sexual abuse and exploitation

Child sexual abuse is any sexual activity with a child in which consent is not or cannot be given. It includes contact abuse, non-contact abuse, exposure, online exploitation, grooming, and the production or sharing of sexual images of children. The abuse is always the responsibility of the adult or older person, never the child.

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A form of abuse

Neglect and deprivation

Neglect is the failure to provide for a child's or dependent adult's basic needs, including food, shelter, clothing, medical care, supervision, protection, and emotional nurture. It is abuse even when there is no physical violence. It can be intentional, or it can result from a caregiver being overwhelmed, unwell, or unable to cope.

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A form of abuse

Reproductive coercion and abuse

Reproductive coercion is a form of abuse in which one person controls another person's reproductive choices. It includes forcing pregnancy, forcing abortion, sabotaging contraception, controlling access to reproductive health care, or using pregnancy and children as tools of control. It is a violation of bodily autonomy and a recognised form of intimate partner violence.

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A form of abuse

Abuse of people with disabilities

Abuse of people with disabilities is any form of physical, sexual, emotional, financial, or neglectful harm directed at someone because of, or made worse by, their disability. It includes caregiver abuse, institutional abuse, and abuse by intimate partners or family members. People with disabilities are assaulted at much higher rates than people without disabilities, and they face unique barriers to reporting and receiving help.

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A form of abuse

LGBTQ+ identity abuse

LGBTQ+ identity abuse is the use of a person's sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression to control, harm, silence, or isolate them. It happens in intimate relationships, families, faith communities, workplaces, and institutions. It includes threats of outing, isolation from LGBTQ+ community, control around transition or presentation, and the use of identity as a weapon.

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A form of abuse

Teen dating violence

Teen dating violence is when one partner in a dating relationship repeatedly uses abusive tactics, echoing the power-and-control framework that loveisrespect.org (a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline) uses to describe dating abuse, to dominate the other. It can be physical, sexual, emotional, or digital. It affects young people across all identities and backgrounds, and it can have lasting effects on health, safety, and future relationships.

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A form of abuse

Workplace abuse and harassment

Workplace abuse is a pattern of mistreatment, harassment, intimidation, or exploitation in a work setting. It includes bullying, sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and abuse of power by supervisors, colleagues, or customers. It causes harm to the target's health, career, and economic security.

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A form of abuse

Military and veteran domestic violence

Military and veteran domestic violence is intimate partner abuse that occurs within military service member or veteran families. It is shaped by the unique stresses of military life: deployments, frequent moves, separation from family, combat exposure, firearms access, and a culture that values self-reliance and chain of command. Both service members and their partners can be victims.

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A form of abuse

Immigration and status abuse

Immigration and status abuse is the use of a person's immigration status, visa, or fear of deportation to control, exploit, or harm them. It includes threats to report to immigration authorities, withholding or destroying documents, preventing a person from applying for legal status, and using dependency on a sponsor or spouse as leverage. It is a common form of power and control in abusive relationships.

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A form of abuse

Ritual abuse and witchcraft accusations

Ritual abuse is abuse that occurs within a context of rituals, ceremonies, or belief systems, sometimes involving groups or extended family networks. Witchcraft accusations are beliefs that a person, often a child, is causing harm through supernatural means, leading to violence, abandonment, exorcism, or exploitation. Both are forms of abuse that exploit faith, fear, and community power.

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You are not alone

One page cannot replace a person

If you are not sure which of these fits your situation, that is all right. Call a hotline, speak to a trusted friend, or use the contact form. You do not need the right label to deserve help.

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