If you know someone you love is suffering from abuse, please reach out. You matter and you are not alone.

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” – Amelia Earhart

Domestic abuse is also known as domestic violence or intimate partner violence. Controlling, threatening, and degrading a person with abuse. Anyone can be a victim, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, faith, or class. Typically manifested as abusive behavior towards a dating partner, wife, or family member, e.g a parent or sibling.

Abuse can be physical, psychological, emotional, or threats to the abused. 

Emotional Abuse-  Undermines a person's self-worth by calling them names, insults, monitoring where you go, expects you to ask for their permission, isolates you from family and friends, refuses to share money, doesn't allow you to work. 

Psychological Abuse- the destruction of your property, mind games, isolation from your loved ones.

Economic Abuse- illiterate women have to face abuse because they are financially dependent on their partneor parent. 

Physical Abuse- Hurting you physically like hitting, kicking, burning, grabbing, pinching, shoving, slapping, hair-pulling, biting, denying medical care or ordering alcohol and/or drug use, forcing you out of the home.

Sexual Abuse- Forcing you to take part in a sex act without your approval. Accuses you of cheating, calling sexual names, hurts you with weapons during intercourse, demanding sex when you are hurt, involving others to have sexual relations with you.
Stalking- serves no legitimate purpose, intended to harass, annoy a person by repeated telephone calls, unwelcome letters or gifts by mail, surveillance at work, home, and other places that the victim is known to frequent. 

Different families [erfrom crimes like "honor killing", forced marriages.

Myths about Domestic Violence- 

1. Alcohol and Drugs make men more violent- they can worsen the abuse and act as a catalyst.

2. If it was that bad, she'd leave- women might stay in an abusive relationship if she is economically dependent, speaking of which  Australian Government is offering money to exit abusive relationships, within this scheme the Government provides 5000 Australian Dollars ($3,700), it is open to all genders. 

3. Domestic Abuse always involves Physical Violence.

4. He can be a good father even if he abuses his partner – the parents' relationship doesn't have to affect the children- 90% of children whose mothers are abused witness the abuse, it leads to lifelong trauma and fear.

5. Domestic abuse is a private family matter and not a social issue.

6. Women are just as abusive as men- women are more likely to experience abuse perpetrated by men. 

7. Women often lie about abuse- 111,891 prosecutions for domestic violence, and only 6 prosecutions for making false allegations.

8. Men who abuse women are mentally unwell.

9. Women are attracted to abusive men-  A perpetrator can be charming at the first sight, a prolonged relationship can be harmful. 

10. Domestic abuse isn't that common.

11. Women are more likely to be attacked by strangers than by those who claim to love them.
https://www.womensaid.org.uk/information-support/what-is-domestic-abuse/myths/

Alexandro Pamombo an Italian artist painted famous women, their faces are brutally bruised. What do you think about it?

"to illustrate the drama that affects millions of women throughout the world.....with the aim of denouncing, raising awareness and obtaining a real response from institutions and politics" he described his work during a press conference. He launched the #BriefMessage Campainge International Women's Day, calling on women to denounce violence by writing a message on their underwear and sharing the photograph on social media. 

In the picture, Aung San Suu Kyi, Angela Merkle, Michelle Obama, Indira Gandhi, Hillary Clinton and more. 

Report Domestic Violence- 

https://www.naaree.com/domestic-violence-helplines-india/

https://www.un.org/en/coronavirus/what-is-domestic-abuse.