EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL & SEXUAL ABUSE

Abuse can take many different forms such as verbal, emotional, physical or sexual. Some forms are less obvious, like controlling behaviour. Here’s how to spot all types of abuse and harassment, and what to do about it…

Abusive Relationships Sexual Harassment

Anyone can be a victim of abuse regardless of their age, gender or sexual orientation. People in abusive relationships may be victim to many types of abuse at the same time or the abuse may change over time. Below are 12 signs that you are in an abusive relationship:

■ You are scared of your partner

■ They have hurt, or threatened to hurt, you or people you care about

■ They force you to do things you don’t want to do, including sexually

■ They stop you from seeing friends, family or people who you may go to for advice

■ They prevent you from going to university or work

■ They constantly check up on you or follow you

■ They wrongly accuse you of flirting or cheating regularly

■ They often get jealous or possessive

■ They regularly humiliate, criticise or insult you, often in front of others

■ You change your behaviour because you’re afraid of what they might do or say to you

■ They deliberately destroy things that belong to you

■ They control how much money you have

This list does not cover all abusive behaviour so if there is upsetting behaviour that’s not on this list, get help.

Get Help

If you think you’re in an abusive relationship, or suspect someone close to you is (or are suffering abuse from a friend, family member or stranger), seek help immediately. Visit www.brook.org.uk/abuse-help for more information or alert Student Services. You may be fearful, but seeking help will be completely confidential and will allow you to plan your next steps safely.

If a friend has chosen to talk to you about something they are experiencing, listen to them and be supportive. Remind them how strong they are in confiding in you because it takes a lot of courage to talk about abuse and violence.

In a survey by Brook in 2019, over half of students said they had experienced unwanted sexual behaviours but only 15% realised these behaviours count as harassment. A simple wolf-whistle or call to someone across the street may not seem like harassment, but a build-up of similar behaviour towards a person can lead to them feeling upset and intimidated. Whilst you may worry you’re being silly or petty for reporting treatment of this nature, any unwanted behaviour can be considered harassment. If you’re not sure whether to report something, talk it through with a friend or family member, or confidentially with Student Services, to get a second opinion.

dealwithitalone.Sometimespeopleholdback becausetheyfeeltheywon’tbebelieved,that theydon’twanttogetinvolved,orthatthey reportmightbewrong,butit’ssomuchbetterto andbewrong,thannottoreportat all.Asforbeingbelieved,universities andorganisationswillsupportyou withoutjudgement.