What is Abuse?
Abuse is something that makes you feel unworthy / unable to make or have the freedom to choose how you live your life.
Abuse can come in many forms
Physical Abuse
Any thing that causes injury to a person.
- Slapping
- punching
- kicking
- burning
- biting
- pulling hair
- pushing
- stabbing
Mental and Emotional abuse
Words cause wounds in the mind and in our hearts. Physical wounds heal but the words leave wounds that can last a life time.
- Mocking our opinions in front of others
- Laughing and criticising the way we live, how we dress, the colour of our hair, the way we look.
- Making jokes about us in front of others
- Telling our secrets to other to shame us
- Being awful to friends and family
This form of abuse happens slowly over time, it’s like reprogramming your mind. If we’re told something for long enough and there’s no one telling you any different. You your self begin to think what they say is true, This is where they gain the control. Your confidence and self esteem are low and your mental health is effected. This eventually results in you withdrawing, from work, college, family & friends and other social activities.
Financial abuse
This is where another person takes over your finances. This from of abuse can happen gradually with out you realising whats happening. Until you have NO control over your money, an having to earn it by what ever means your told.
Sexual abuse
This is when someone is made or forced to do sexual acts that they don’t consent to.
- It can all start as a game or a bit of fun that we feel uneasy about, but wanting to please we do it. Then it moves on to even more uncomfortable things.
- Sometimes you can be black mailed in to it. With evidence they say they hold about you.
- you can be force under threats of death (sexual assault)
- You can be drugged or given too much alcohol so you have no control.
With ever way it happens if you don’t consent, it’s sexual abuse.
An abuser may not have to use all four of the abuses listed above to gain control over us. Here at Faith Grace Foundation we believe education about abuse can break the cycle of abuse, as most abusers have suffered abuse at some point in their life.
By doing this we can hope and pray that less people will be abused in what ever form. ABUSE is ABUSE – Full STOP!