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Important Notices

Domestic Violence


The Domestic Violence Section of the Delmar Police Department thinks that you should know some of the warning signs of Domestic Abuse. Look through the section below and see if there are multiple warning signs that are occurring in your life. Violence does not end immediately with separation since 73% of the women injured in domestic violence cases were injured after separation. There is help and information available for you to break this cycle of violence.

SYMPTONS OF ABUSE - MISUSE OF POWER AND CONTROL

What Symptoms Below Fit Your Life?

Using Emotional Abuse


  • Putting her down

  • Making her feel bad about herself

  • Calling her names

  • Making her think she's crazy

  • Playing mind games

  • Humiliating her

  • Making her feel guilty

Using Male Privilege


  • Treating her like a servant

  • Making all the big decisions

  • Acting like the "Master of the Castle"

  • Being the one to define men's and women's roles

Using Economic Abuse


  • Preventing her from getting or keeping a job

  • Making her ask for money

  • Giving her an allowance

  • Taking her money

  • Not letting her know about or have access to family income

Using Coercion and Threats


  • Making or carrying out threats to do something to hurt her

  • Threatening to leave her, to commit suicide, to report her to welfare

  • Making her drop charges

  • Making her do illegal things

Using Intimidation


  • Making her afraid by using looks, gestures, or actions

  • Smashing things

  • Abusing Pets

  • Displaying Weapons

Using Children


  • Making her feel guilty about the children

  • Using the children to relay messages

  • Using visitation to harass her

  • Threatening to take the children away

Using Isolation


  • Controlling what she does, who she sees and talks to,what she reads, & where she goes

  • Limiting her outside involvement

  • Using jealousy to justify actions

Minimizing, Denying, Blaming


  • Making light of the abuse and not taking her concerns about it seriously

  • Saying the abuse didn't happen

  • Shifting responsibility for abusive behavior

  • Saying she caused it



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