COMPLEX PATTERN

Domestic violence is NOT RANDOM.  It is a complex pattern of increasingly frequent and harmful assaultive, coercive behaviors abusive men use to control their intimate partners.

The Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MCADSV) recognizes four types of abuse.  Abuse can take on many forms, some more subtle than others.  These are just a few of the ways batterers control their victims:

Physical Abuse

• Batterer scratches, bites, grabs, or spits at a current or former intimate partner
• Shakes, shoves, pushes, restrains, or throws her
• Twists, slaps, punches, strangles, or burns the victim
• Throws objects at her

Sexual Violence and Abuse

• Batterer is jealous or angry and assumes she will have sex with anyone
• Insists that his partner dress in a more sexual way than she wants
• Coerces sex by manipulation or threats
• Physically forces sex or is sexually violent

Psychological Abuse

• Batterer verbally attacks and humiliates his partner in private or public
• Attacks her vulnerabilities
• Plays mind games
• Forces her to do degrading things

Economic Abuse

• Batterer controls all the money
• Doesn’t let her work outside the home
• Sabotages her attempts to go to school
• Ruins her credit rating